Wendy Thomas is winning a lifelong battle with cancer.

The kindness of two strangers has given her another reason to smile.

Janet and John Gordon of Dallas read about Wendy's 23-year bout with xeroderma pigmentosum, a rare and incurable disorder that makes victims vulnerable to sunlight.

A story in The Dallas Morning News on Monday told about the tumors that have assaulted her skin, left eye and throat. It delved into her medical care, religious faith and a take-charge passion for life.

And the story mentioned how Wendy would like to attend a camp for those with the same illness, among other life dreams.

The Gordons decided to make the camp trip come true.

"At a time when there is so much negative in the world, it's wonderful to see someone with such spirit and bravery," said Mr. Gordon, a retired Dallas regional administrator for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Said his wife: "You see a lot of stories about people in need. Somehow this one pricked our hearts."

The couple will pay the airline fare for Wendy to attend the Xeroderma Pigmentosum Society's Camp Sundown this summer in Craryville, N.Y.

The camp itself is free. Once there she will spend time with some of the estimated 3,000 people worldwide (about 150 in the U.S.) who have the genetic, often fatal disease. XP prevents the body from repairing the everyday damage of ultraviolet light.

"It would be exciting to meet other kids who have what I have," Wendy said last week.

Her life's bucket list also includes a trip to an indoor water park, an audition for American Idol and the chance to sing at the Grand Ole Opry.

When told of the Gordons' generosity, the resident of Athens, Texas, sang out with delight.

"Awesome," she said. "Tell them I said thank you."