Criminal Minds 'Cancer patient gets star treatment'

From Wane.com

Cancer patient gets star treatment

Visits with cast of hit CBS drama in Hollywood

Updated: Wednesday, 08 Dec 2010, 11:13 PM EST
Published : Wednesday, 08 Dec 2010, 10:28 PM EST

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - A young woman from Fort Wayne is battling a rare form of cancer. Ashley Weimer, 20, was diagnosed with desmoplastic small round cell tumor in 2008. Since then, she has endured surgery, radiation treatments, chemotherapy, and a stem cell transplant. This past summer, the doctors told Ashley her cancer had returned. It spread to her lungs and spine.

She loves the hit CBS drama “Criminal Minds” and recently got a rare treat; a trip to Hollywood and a visit with some of her favorite actors. A family friend had connections to the show and made arrangements for her to stop by during a filming. “When I was little, I always thought it would be so cool to be a profiler. And when I saw the show I was like oh my God, it's totally my show!” Ashley said.

The director of the show also used Ashley as an extra in a recent episode. “I was like, oh my gosh! What do I do?” she said. “And he said just act like you're doing something. So I just pretended to type something on the computer.”

Ashley has kept in touch with the cast via email and there’s even a character named after her who will be featured in the next three episodes. She hopes to bring more attention to rare types of cancer by sharing her story.

to see more pictures and a video go to Wane.com