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Kassie Crose, who has been battling heart problems, gets to meet her soap heartthrobs

By Teddi Dineley Johnson
News-Chronicle

Local fans of the hit soap "General Hospital" will have an additional reason to tune in Monday. Toward the end of the episode, a pretty young woman with short blonde hair, wearing a teal-colored shirt and standing behind an information desk will deliver this line: "I'm sorry. I'm not allowed to give out that information."
For the walk-on role, Kassie Crose of Green Bay received a paycheck in the mail for $286.53. The check bore the name and logo of the ABC-TV show's parent company, Disney. The amount would have been $365, but Uncle Sam had to take his share. Still, as Crose points out, "Pretty good money for only three hours of work."
Only three hours of work, but a lifetime of dreams and a literal wish-come-true for the 19-year-old, whose all-expenses-paid trip to Los Angeles brought the fulfillment of a wish granted by Kids Wish Network, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating happy memories by granting wishes to deserving kids.
The Florida-based organization reviewed Crose's wish application last year and deemed her eligible for its program.
The reviewers based their decision on the teen's long battle with complex cyanotic congenital heart disease. The blood Crose's heart pumps contains extremely low levels of oxygen, which can make it difficult for her to even make her way across a room without becoming short of breath.
Crose, a 2004 graduate of East High School, has undergone four open-heart surgeries and probably will need a new heart within the next two years.
"I knew what wish I wanted for a while," Crose said, "if I ever got the chance, so it wasn't too hard to decide."
Her wish? To fly to Los Angeles with her family - parents Margaret and Dale Clark of Green Bay and sisters Anna, 12, and Lexie, 10 - and spend the day on the set of her favorite soap, "General Hospital." Like many young women her age, Crose wanted to meet Maurice Benard, the sultry actor who plays mobster Sonny Corinthos. Crose said Benard was "a lot cuter in person.
We talked to him for about 10 minutes. He's a lot nicer than his character."
Crose's wish coordinator, Emily Anderson of Kids Wish Network, said the cast and crew were "simply amazing." From the second Crose arrived on the set, it became evident that everyone knew her name.
"They'd been waiting all week to meet her," said Anderson. "They were all joking around with her and giving her pointers for her role."
In addition to meeting the cast, Crose and her family spent the day watching them tape the episode. Between takes, she chatted with the actors and mugged for the cameras in the Green Room, which she described as "reddish." A filling lunch featuring spaghetti was served on the set, during which Crose and her family dined with two cast members, Alicia Leigh Willis, who plays Courtney, and Tamara "Carly" Braun.
"They were very sweet, and they stayed with us for a lot of the day," Crose said.
That she would be given a small walk-on role came as a surprise to Crose, who learned of it on the way to the set on the morning of Feb. 11. The realization that she would receive monetary compensation for her work hit home when someone asked for her Social Security card and handed her a bunch of papers and tax forms to fill out.
Fifteen minutes before her scene, Crose reported to "make-up," where Hollywood beauty pros performed their rapid hair and make-up magic.
Was she nervous?
"Very," she said. "I was afraid I would mess up my line or laugh, but I actually did very well."
Crose did so well, in fact, that many on the set asked if she had acted before. She had not, but the experience has piqued her interest, and she might take some acting classes.
"I've been interested in acting since I was about 16. It always looked like it would be a good way to express myself."
The experience taught Crose a great deal about the acting profession and gave her an appreciation for the number of hours - as many as 10 - required to tape just one episode of the soap. "I was up there about 20 minutes altogether," she said of her 10-word line. At the end of the day, the crew presented her with a copy of the script, which Crose has placed in an album with page protectors.
Anderson enjoyed working with Crose, who was her first wish recipient from Green Bay. "We automatically clicked," said Anderson. "She's so sweet and so kind, and a great young woman." Crose's wish was not unusual.
"Most of our wishes are for Disney theme parks; stuff like that," Anderson explained. "We have quite a few celebrity meet-and-greets, but this was my first time with the entire cast of a TV show."
Anderson accompanies families on wish trips only when a child's wish involves meeting celebrities. Boys often want to meet singers or sports superstars, she said. Girls also want to meet singers, as well as actresses.
Crose might be undecided about pursuing acting as a career, but one thing is certain: She will be somewhat of a celebrity Monday afternoon when she reports to work at Wal-Mart. "Everybody at Wal-Mart is really excited," she said. "They're going to watch it in the break room."
FYI
The episode of "General Hospital" with Kassie Crose making an appearance will be shown at 2 p.m. Monday on WBAY-TV Channel 2.