She looks tanned and fit.

The typical teenager, if there is such a thing.

Unable to stand still for more than a moment. Always fidgeting.

With mother and father, plus a brother watching, she is the focus of everyone's attention on the front porch of the southeast Austin home.

"It's over," she said. "I just want to be a kid."

For four months, Ally Hicks, 14, has held her non-Hodgkins lymphoma cancer in check. It's in remission and life in the Jeff and Vicky Hicks family is returning to normalcy. Even 18-year-old brother, Adam, is back to teasing his sister.

The Hicks family received a check for $3,500 Thursday night. Representatives of a fund-raiser held June 1 at Wescott Athletic Field visited the family to present the check.

Another Austin family and another 14-year-old Ellis Middle School seventh grader also will receive a check for $3,500.

The money comes from a June 1 fund-raiser nicknamed "Join Hands With Ally and Friends."

The fund-raiser was a huge success. The entire Ellis Middle School student body and faculty were a part of it as well as Austin High School students and adults.

Mark Roberts coordinated the fund-raiser for the sponsors, local Aid Association for Lutherans branches. "It was fantastic to see the Join Hands day come together like it did," said Roberts. "It was a great community event to see so many people and all the schools involved," said Roberts. "It says something good, something very good, in fact, about the community and the people."

AAL branches from St. Olaf, Grace and Holy Cross Lutheran churches in Austin contributed matching funds and both Our Saviors and St. John Lutheran churches donated money to the fund-raiser.

Local businesses and industries also lent their assistance and support to the project.

"It's been exciting," said Don Jackel, an AAL representative for Grace Lutheran Church of Austin.

According to Jackel, participating in the successful fund-raiser was one thing, "and then to get that kind of response was something else."

"Most definitely, we have a very caring and co passionate community who wanted to help both girls' families," Jackel said.

In addition to the check, Rhonda Anderson, another AAL representative from St. Olaf Lutheran Church of Austin, presented Wicks with a bag full of gifts and gift certificates from sponsors.

Tom Wickman, another St. Olaf AAL representative, Joanne Worlein, treasurer of the St. Olaf AAL branch, as well as Barbara Jackel, another Grace Lutheran AAL member with her husband, Don, all agreed with his description of the satisfaction felt with the Join Hands project.

According to Ally's mother, Vicky Hicks, her daughter is healthy and ready for eighth grade classes this fall at Ellis Middle School.

She still was shocked by the outpouring of support for her daughter and the other cancer victim. "You don't know how many people really care for you until something like this happens," the mother said. "We are very grateful to everyone."

"God allowed this to happen for some reason," she said.

The mother and father told the visitors about the cancer victim, also a teenage boy, who authored the book "You Don't Have To Die."

It reflects the Hicks family's situation.

Last fall, when Ally became sick, the family thought it was just that: a bout with a virus.

When doctors at Austin Medical Center referred the teenager to the Mayo Clinic at Rochester, they learned the truth: lymphoma.

By late fall, the young girl was undergoing chemotherapy treatments and fighting to stay healthy and alive.

The teenager credits her positive attitude with helping her amazing recovery. "God made my positive attitude happen," she said. "I wasn't feeling sorry for myself in the beginning. I thought I had a bad cold, so I just stayed positive through it all."

The tan comes from a two-week vacation to Arizona, according to Ally's father, Jeff.

The family will take a Caribbean cruise early in 2003 thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Until then, the teenager will admire her teddy bear collection -- it was the most popular gift during her hospitalization -- and ignore her big brother and tolerate her parents.

Cancer is far away for now.

It's summertime and Ally Hicks just wants to have fun.

Like she said, "I just want to be a kid."

It's every young cancer victim's wish.

Lee Bonorden can be contacted at 434-2232 or by e-mail at :mailto:lee.bonorden@austindailyherald.com