The dreams of walking the red carpet, photo ops and signing autographs for throngs of excited fans has become a reality for 13-year-old aspiring actress Kaydence Patton.

The Meridian teen  enjoyed her “Hollywood moment” Tuesday night during a viewing party of her acting debut on ABC’s “The Rookie.” 

“This is all kinda surreal,” said Kaydence, who through her excitement maintains a calm, professional demeanor. “I’m glad to be able to share this moment with my hometown.”

A moment made possible through Make-A-Wish Mississippi. According to Kaydence’s mother, Tanyera Patton, the wish evolved from disappointing news about a planned seven-day family cruise from the teen’s doctor.

Kaydence suffers from hypoplastic-left-heart syndrome, a birth defect that affects normal blood flow through the heart.

“She’s missing half of her heart,” Patton said.

Since birth, Kaydence has undergone three open-heart surgeries in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania — the first at 3 days old, followed by additional surgical procedures at 6 months and 3 years — to increase her survival rate. In addition to taking a number of medications, she also visits a cardiologist in Jackson regularly.

It was during one of those doctor visits Kaydence learned she would not be able to go on the family cruise.

“Kaydence’s doctor said she did not feel comfortable with her being out of the country and that far from a major medical facility for seven days,” her mother said.

The news was so upsetting for Kaydence, a social worker at the hospital recommended her for Make-A-Wish, the foundation that grants wishes to children with critical illnesses. Patton explained that although by her physical appearance Kaydence seems fine, she has a terminal medical condition that qualifies her for Make-A-Wish.

The foundation usually grants three wishes to wish recipients. At the top of Kaydence’s list was not only to be an actress, but to have the opportunity to have a speaking part on a television show.

This request proved to be somewhat of a challenge for Make-A-Wish. While there were several offers as an extra on a number of shows and even an opportunity to work backstage on a Disney show, Kaydence stood firm on her wish to have a speaking part on a television show.

“I want to show my acting potential, and hopefully someone will recognize me and more opportunities will come along,” she said.

Atlanta-based YouTube producer Travis Mills met with Kaydence and her mother and agreed to write a script for a film starring Kaydence and filmed at Meridian’s Temple Theatre and Merrehope.

“The film was going to be about some of the history of Meridian with Kaydence in the starring role,” Patton said.

In the midst of script preparations, Patton was informed that ABC had created a role especially for a Make-A-Wish recipient for one of the network’s shows.

“Make-A-Wish Mississippi called and told me they had submitted Kaydence’s name, but they advised me to not put too much stock into it because they never pick a kid from Mississippi for something like this,” Patton said.

In late September, Patton received the call that ABC wanted Kaydence to star on “The Rookie.”

“They called that Friday and we had to be prepared to fly out to Hollywood that following Tuesday and be gone a whole week,” Patton said.

Kaydence spent two days filming the episode titled “The Ride Along,” which centers around a Make-A-Wish recipient being granted a wish to be a police officer.

“She’s a mini-cop,” Kaydence said, “and I arrest a criminal.”

The experience was all the aspiring actress anticipated — and more.

“It was fun being on camera,” she said. “It wasn’t really that hard to learn my lines. They gave me the script and the movements I had to do and it all came together. I guess you can say I’m a natural,” she said.

Kaydence also spent time on set with the cast and crew, and according to a release from Make-A-Wish Mississippi her role in the episode even earned the praise of an assistant director who urged Kaydence to continue to pursue an acting career.

In addition to guest starring on “The Rookie,” Kaydence was treated to several tours, one of which proved to be another dream come true for Kaydence: Visiting The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios.

“I love Harry Potter and I’ve read all the books, so it was really exciting to be able to visit the theme park,” she said.

Kaydence’s acting debut on a television series not only is a milestone for her, but also the Make-A-Wish Foundation, her mother noted.

“Not just Mississippi, but all Make-A-Wish organizations,” Patton said. “This is the first time a wish recipient has had the opportunity to have a scripted part on a TV show.”

Not resting on her laurels, Kaydence, who has performed in several local plays and community theater, is gearing up for her next role, one closer to home. She has been cast as Hawking Clam in the Stage 2 production of “Peter and the Starcatcher,” a prequel to “Peter Pan.”

“We’re really excited to have Kaydence as part of the cast, she’s is so energetic,” said Susie Johnson, a founding director of the Meridian teen theater training group.

In addition to acting and reading, the Russell Christian Academy seventh-grader also enjoys dancing.

“I just love performing — being on stage and seeing people’s reactions to what I’m doing is really exciting,” she said.