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Sacramento Make-A-Wish teen ‘touched and grateful’ to be honorary Kings dancer

A Sacramento teen with an autoimmune disorder is fulfilling her dream of joining the Kings' dance team.

Yani, a 14-year-old from Sacramento, can now call herself an honorary member of the Sacramento Kings Dancers for the 2018-19 season, through a partnership with the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

The team announced its roster of dancers Wednesday. Yani danced competitively for two years before becoming ill last October. Her blood pressure spiked to extreme levels and she experienced sudden kidney failure, according to a Kings news release.

After 53 days in the hospital and multiple complications, including pneumonia and blood clots, doctors diagnosed Yani with lupus, an autoimmune disorder.