Danika’s story

Bighorn sheep

Full of life and ambition is how Danika Davis’ (14) family and friends describe her. At only 6 weeks old, Danika was diagnosed with a life-threatening condition called cystic fibrosis (“CF”) CF is a genetic disease typically invisible at first glance. CF is primarily known for adversely affecting the respiratory system and exocrine glands. “Danika shows heart, love, and dedication in everything she pursues in life,” Danika’s oldest sister, Regan Davis said. “Simply put, she loves life itself. I think cystic fibrosis patients tend to have a greater appreciation for life, knowing theirs may be cut shorter. She definitely has the resolve to live life to its fullest every day since a very young age.” Danika’s diagnosis united the Davis family in a unique and compelling way. The family mutually found an additional appreciation for the little things in life, knowing how short life could be. The earlier years of Danika’s life consisted of repetitive hospitalizations, high volumes of medications, treatments, and doctor visits. However, there was a glimpse of hope for the future of children with a unique strain of CF in January of 2012. Incredibly, a promising new medicine came up the pipeline altering specific DNA cystic fibrosis genotypes that slows the progression of the disease but does not cure it. Because of age requirements and unique genotype specifications, there were a little over 2,000 people worldwide eligible for a so-called miracle drug known as Kalydeco. Fortunately, Danika just so happened to have her birthday not long before Kalydeco was FDA approved, allowing her to be eligible for this life-changing medication. More recently, Danika is on a more comprehensive medication called Trikafta. “Being the youngest of four, she has been exposed to everything her older sisters have done. This sparked her interest in both hunting and rodeo,” said Danika’s father, Jerod Davis. “She is a very ambitious and competitive kid who accepts her condition but does not want to be defined by it. Her lifestyle really proves this.” Participating in sports has been a key aspect Danika incorporated into her life at a young age. She is now the team captain of the Chico Senior High School Freshman basketball team, on an Amateur Athletic Union travel basketball team, and competes in open divisional barrel racing, as well as California High School Rodeo. “Staying active doing things like playing basketball and hunting makes my lungs open up and makes it easier for me to breathe,” Danika said. Hunting was added to my extracurriculars at 10 years old. Five years later, the sport holds a special place in my life,” she added. “Originally I started hunting because I wanted to share the love for the sport with my family and spend more time with my dad and sister [Alexa Davis],” Danika said. Children of Circumstances Outdoors also known as COCO generously orchestrated an all-inclusive experience to hunt the long-desired California Bighorn Sheep in Northern Oregon on November 25-28. Danika was chosen for this hunting experience of a lifetime because of her terminal illness and is age 14. The COCO program provided the coveted tag, lodging, and meals, she explained. The COCO team even scouted for Danika one month prior to the beginning of the hunt. “This hunt was very special because it was a once-in-a-lifetime hunt and I got to educate more people on Cystic Fibrosis and how I live with it,” Danika said. “This is a hunt that has memories I will never forget and people that mean the world to me.” Danika departed Northern California bright and early at 3:00 a.m. on November 25 accompanied by Jerod, and grandfather, Jeff Davis. The three began their 9-hour drive to Northern Oregon and the start of the once-in-a-lifetime adventure, Danika said. “The drive to Oregon felt like an eternity,” Jerod said. “We were so anxious to get there and finally meet Bryan and the COCO staff.” Jerod, Jeff, and Danika met Bryan Murphy, President of COCO, Tyler Saunders, professional guide, and Craig Boatman with his daughter Kaidyn in Bend, Oregon. After formal introductions and some quick small-talk the crew headed North, Jerod said. “We were all excited and couldn’t wait to get our eyes on some rams,” he added. “The experience felt like an illusion. The process had begun and despite my strongest effort I had a hard time believing it was happening.” On a cold and foggy evening the hunt had officially begun. The team collaborated behind their glass and began scouring the magnificent landscape, Jerod explained. Justin Dunlap, professional guide for COCO, had spent the previous seven consecutive days locating rams and keeping tabs on potential shooters. Naturally, he would lead the hunt and be the key component to finding a big ram. “Late on day two of the hunt the team spotted a good ram high on the north face,” Jerod said. “He was positioned in great location to make a stalk on and kill without risking a 300 ft fall or even worse, being unretrievable. With heavy regard to the positives of the situation, there was still the most important factor to consider. Was it the right ram? Is it the correct decision to take him and not risk going home empty-handed even if he may not be a Class 4 ram?” After careful evaluation, the decision was made to pass. As hunting often goes, sometimes these risks pay off, Jerod added. Since Danika’s first day hunting, he emphasized on the importance of both patience and persistence because of personal experiences over the years. Within minutes after moving a few hundred yards across the bench another ram came into sight. “He was around 1,700 yards at this time,” Danika said. “The sun was going down and we were trying to not let him turn the corner on the face of the mountain. The ram spotted us and moved quickly across the face resulting in us not having a chance to do anything. We waited it out for about 15 minutes. With no luck we pulled out.” The following morning, the ram was on everyone’s minds, Danika explained. “Justin, my dad, and I hopped in the [Pioneer] side-by-side to drive around and see if we could find a couple rams they had set eyes on before the hunt, while some guys were glassing from the river below where the big ram was spotted the evening before,” Danika said. “A few hours go by, and we get notice that they have a ram located and he is big.” Justin, Jerod, and Danika loaded up and hurried to the top of the rim to have a staff meeting and make a plan. From this location the ram was about 1,200 yards west and below. At this point there were two options to choose from. Either angle down the face toward him and get to roughly the same elevation and hopefully within range or to get directly above him and try to shoot straight down off the top. The problem with shooting from the top was the range would be over 700 yards with very little chance for anything closer. He could also get under the rim and out of sight eliminating the opportunity completely. The decision was made. “We walked down the frozen face about 400 yards and got set up on a big flat rock. We could see him bedded down a little over 800 yards away” Danika said. “Blake [landowner] and Harry [professional guide] decided to walk a little bit up the face to bump the ram. The ram joined up with two others above him and headed in our direction. Finally, he came out of this little cut into [about] 280 yards and stopped for a second, then boom. Walking over to meet up with the down ram was a magical and anxious feeling to see him. When I laid eyes on that big ram, it was such an unexplainable feeling with mixed emotion. Feelings of excitement, impressed, and thankfulness left me speechless.” The staff of COCO and the experience shared with Danika was referenced as a once-in-a-lifetime moment by Danika. She explained the new-found friends as individuals she will never forget. “I would like to give a huge thank-you to COCO, every person a part of the program, my family for supporting me, my dad for teaching me all I know about hunting, and my CF team for doing everything in their power to keep me healthy and helping me be able to stay active and do things other people are able to do,” Danika said. “There’s so much to be thankful for and not enough words to describe this feeling and my appreciation.”