On good days, Gloria Marcale appears no different than any other 61-year-old—better, even. She’s a petite thing with a smile that’s polite but genuine, a woman who still gets dolled up for nights on the town, especially if photos are being taken. Her posture is impressive in photographs, though it doesn’t stop her two adult children from being taller than her. Standing next to them, she looks like a proud mother who isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Not all days are good, though.

On the bad days, Gloria’s stage-four breast cancer gets the better of her, and sometimes her morphine prescription isn’t enough to keep the chronic pain at bay. The Pasadena resident doesn’t really like to divulge any more details than that. She’s a relatively private person, and anyway, such conversations are so negative.

Luckily, December 29 was a good day. That was the day Gloria, a former government worker who’d traveled regularly to Las Vegas for 18 years, received the type of royal treatment usually reserved for high rollers or big wigs—roses, guided tours and an in-person welcome from the president of the casino himself, among other things.

You might call it a makeshift Make-A-Wish ... Vegas-style.

Just two weeks earlier, Gloria’s daughter, Christina Marcale, had reached out to several local Strip properties to describe her mother’s situation and ask if there was anything the casinos would be willing to do for her. “I just asked for them to recognize or acknowledge her in some way,” explains Christina. “I thought it would be nice.”

One Strip property disregarded Christina’s request completely; the secretary explaining that their company “doesn’t do that,” especially for people who aren’t even booked at their hotel. Another property comped the family tickets to one of their recurring productions. The family’s host hotel, Mandalay Bay, upgraded them to a room at THEHotel and displayed a welcome message to Gloria on their Player’s Club video screens.

This all paled in comparison to the figurative red carpet rolled out by the Venetian, however.

The Venice-inspired resort picked the Marcales up in a limo, and a staff of directors greeted the family once they arrived—armed with roses for the women, of course. The group gave her free slot play at one of her favorite slot machines, and then they introduced Gloria to the president of the company, Robert Goldstein, the man whose office originally received and acted on the request. It was a meeting the family will never forget.

“I think that was the most amazing part,” says Christina. “The fact that someone of this magnitude in the company would meet us ... Wow. He didn’t just say ‘hi’ and ‘bye’ either. He was human, and he said some heartwarming things to me and my mother.”

The Marcales were also treated to a nice dinner, tickets to Phantom and a backstage tour of the production, where they got to meet some of the cast members. “My mom was overwhelmed,” says Christina. “I was, too. We kept thinking, wow, this is what the celebrities do.”

For Christina, these gestures are proof that casinos aren’t always the money-hungry, built-on-losers, ice-cold corporations they appear to be. Even in a time when Strip properties posted a $2.5 billion loss last year, they extended goodwill.

“I know Vegas is hurting. We’ve seen it hurt. Everyone knows they are businesses and they are all about making money. So, for them to have a heart and recognize regular people … I’m still in awe.”

Debbie Rigel, the Venetian’s director of player development, shares the feeling. She’s one of the employees who set-up Gloria’s Vegas adventure, and concedes it’s rare for casinos to wine and dine the everyday person the way Gloria was.

She also feels honored to have been a part of it.

“Our job is to take care of the masses,” says Rigel. “So, to be able to spend one-on-one time with someone who deserves something special, that means a lot to me.”

Of course, the experience likely means the most to one person: Gloria. Looking back on the experience, she gushes words rather than complete sentences, as if she still can’t process what happened. “It was marvelous. Very exciting. Unforgettable. Amazing.”

Gloria insists her Vegas vacation was one of the best days of her life—right up there with her wedding day. She ranks it as more memorable than the Marcale family trip last February to the real Venice, which was too dirty to everyone’s liking. This city of neon lights and clinking-change noises emanating from slots—this is the happiest place on earth for Gloria. Christina notes that her mother’s never had a gambling problem. Instead, Vegas was simply her mother’s getaway spot. She began visiting Vegas regularly after her husband of 17 years died. It was a four-hour journey to a paradise that felt light years away from the struggles of the everyday middle class—and now from cancer.

“She jokes that the slot machines are her friends,” explains Christina. “She’ll say, ‘Okay. I’m going to go visit my friends.’ It was nice to be able to say, ‘Look! Vegas loves you, too. They showed you their best.’”

Christina knows the trip gives her mom hope and strength to keep fighting cancer, which she was first diagnosed with in 2005. She says she can see the difference in her mom, and she’s grateful the city can offer her something to look forward to. Those can be hard to come by when you’re living off disability and receiving hospice care.

“I don’t usually pray but I pray for my mother,” says Christina. “My family is praying that this wasn’t our last time in Vegas, but we don’t know. I keep telling her, ‘Hey! We need to go back. You need to use that rewards card.’”