In ‘Oz,’ a dream really comes true

Thursday, June 22, 2000 | 11:41 a.m.

Most everyone has heard a young Judy Garland sing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" with its hopeful lyrics that "dreams really do come true." But one Las Vegas girl is a living testament to the words.

After four open-heart surgeries and a life in and out of hospitals 4-year-old Mikheala Beckstrand is acting like any other energetic 4-year-old.

This week she's truly acting. Dressed in a gray doggie suit, the young thespian is playing Toto in a performance of the "Wizard of Oz" at the Community College of Southern Nevada.

Helping Hands, an organization that benefits the elderly, is producing the play. Joining Beckstrand in her performance is her mother, Carrie, and three of her five siblings, Kira, Erika and Nathaniel.

"She's having a great time," Carrie Beckstrand said. "We've got some lovely pictures to show."

Before this week's performance, most photos of Mikheala showed her hooked up to machines. Born with a hydroplastic right heart, Beckstrand had six surgeries in all and spent one year of her life hooked up to oxygen.

Although this week's performance doesn't include the song Judy Garland made famous, the family has already seen some of their dreams come true.

"We never thought she would be here this long," her mother said.

The performance is 7 p.m., through Friday at the Horn Theatre, 3200 E. Cheyenne Ave. Admission is $5. Family tickets can be purchased for $17.