Young Cancer Patient Who Got Wish Fulfilled Is Now Grown Up

— -- When it comes to believing things will get better, 17-year-old Taylor Hay of California is an expert.

When she was 9, Hay was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoblastic lymphoma. There were several times when she was hospitalized for five straight weeks, and she had allergic reactions while there.

“It was tough,” Hay told “Good Morning America.”

But as difficult as that time was, it cemented in Hay a deep sense of faith.

“Having belief and having faith is so important," she said.

When Taylor, an aspiring actress, was given a chance to have a wish granted by the Make-A-Wish Foundation, she asked to voice a role in the 2009 animated TV holiday special, “Yes, Virginia.”

The film tells the story of a little girl’s efforts to find out whether Santa Claus was real. Hay voiced Taylor, a character named after her and made to look like her.

“She's so bubbly and so energetic and just so fun. It was a blast to be able to voice her,” Hay said.

The teen said she got “an amazing wish” that actually allowed her to give back.

“One of my mottos, especially going through cancer, is that I have to believe that everything's going to get better. And you know what? It did,” she said.

For Hay and her mother, the making of “Yes, Virginia” was just what the doctor ordered.

“Just seeing her come to life meant everything to her, which of course meant everything to me; to see my daughter ... doing what she loved to do,” said Debbie Britt-Hay, the teen's mother.

Today, Hay is cancer free and attending college full time.