Fulfilling dreams AND winning big

Ashley Hunter
ECB Publishing, Inc.

A young girl named Melba in the 1970s sat in front of her home's television set, staring up at the screen as game contestants from around the nation took their turn at winning big on CBS' The Price is Right show and the Littles girl dreamed of one day being up on that stage herself.
In August of this year, that little girl – now grown-up – got her chance to step onto the glossy stage and have her turn at the game show she'd watched for years.
Growing up in Jefferson County's town of Lloyd, Melba Hawkins-Littles said that much of her childhood was spent watching television and staying indoors - not playing outside, running around with her friends or exploring her native town.
At the age of eight, Littles was diagnosed with a rare bone cancer, osteosarcoma. According to Littles, her illness was discovered when she was at school, playing on the playground. One of the first signs of childhood osteosarcoma is weakened bones, and while playing at school, Littles' leg ended up breaking, which resulted in a trip to the doctor.
What her family believed was a simple trip to set a broken bone ended up being an event that, Littles said, rocked her childhood.
"No one knew I was sick," she explained, so when the doctors announced that she was battling a rare form of cancer, it took her family by surprise. To combat the cancer attacking her young body, doctors had to amputate Littles' leg, leaving the young girl with a life-long disability.
Due to her weakened bones, cancer treatments and the fact that she had to learn how to walk again, Melba Littles ended up spending the majority of her time indoors.
"I didn't go outside much," she states. Spending her time indoors resulted in lots of time spent experiencing the world through her family's television set, including watching contestants on The Price is Right game show win prizes. "I was kinda homebound, so the television set became...a sort of friend," adds Littles.
Even though she spent a lot of her time spent in her home, Littles graduated from Jefferson High School as part of the Class of 1981. In 2004, Littles won a scholarship to Florida A&M University after writing an essay on her disabilities that caught the attention of the contest judges.
Melba Hawkins became Melba Hawkins-Littles when she married her husband, Vince Littles, and the couple now has a son, Michael, who is currently serving in the military, where he is stationed in Hawaii.
Littles also gave a long and lustrous career to the state, working as a government analyst for the State of Florida, where she was employed in multiple state agencies throughout her long career.
Now, Littles is planning to settle down and enjoy a slower pace of life once more as she retires on Thursday, Oct. 31. Before retiring, Littles and her husband chose to make a final retirement trip to several different states in the country, including a visit to Los Angeles, Calif., where Littles's favorite game show is filmed.
"We've been out to California a few different times to watch The Price is Right," says Littles, who has remained a dedicated fan of the show throughout her entire adult life. "But this time...it just felt different. I just had this feeling."
To get placed on the show, Littles says she had to undergo a contestant audition, which she had already done several times during past visits to the game show's set. Previously, however, she'd never made it past the audition interview.
This time, however, Melba Littles's gut 'feeling' was right – she was selected to be one of the nine game show contestants during a taping on Tuesday, Aug. 13.
This moment was more than just a chance for Littles to win big – it was a dream come true, and the dream kept getting better.
Securing her first win, and guaranteeing she'd move to the next stage of the game show, Littles won a ping-pong table.
"From there, I ended up winning a trip to South Africa," Littles states, a hint of excitement still in her voice.
Littles was invited to spin the "Big Wheel" on the show's stage. The clip of Melba Littles's win shows her excitedly mentioning her loved ones into the microphone as the wheel slowly comes to a stop – and lands on the $1,000 prize. As the audience screams in excitement, Littles glanced back and saw where her winning arrow had landed – resulting in tears, cries of excitement, and game show host Drew Carey having to reassure Littles that this wasn't a dream.
All the same, it was a dream come true for the Jefferson County native; before the end of the day, Littles would leave the show with an additional trip to Finland, an ATV and a mini-camper that she won during the game's showcase – the price of her total winnings, at the end of the show, was $30,000.
In The Price is Right episode clip, Littles covers her face with her hands while asking, "am I dreaming? Is this real?"
"It had been my dream, for so long," explains Littles. "I am so thankful that God will grant us some of the desires of our heart."
Despite her excitement over being a winner on her favorite game show, Littles now had a secret to keep.
The episode was filmed in August, but would not air until much later in the year, on Tuesday, Oct. 22.
"I had to keep it all a secret. Nobody in my family knew," says Littles. "Nobody but my husband, and that's because he was there with me when I won."
When the showed aired earlier this week, Littles was finally able to share the news with her family and friends and celebrate the act of achieving her lifelong dream.
From a Littles eight-year-old girl in rural Lloyd watching television to pass the time, to winning a round on her childhood's favorite game-show over 40 years later, Littles has come far – and she has plenty to keep looking towards the future.
"I'm going to walk three-and-a-half miles," explains Littles – although this won't be just any walk. She'll be walking in Tampa next month to support and raise funds for the Sarcoma Foundation.
"I was young when I was diagnosed. It hasn't stopped me, but there needs to be a cure," explains Littles. To prepare for her walk, Littles is walking at the local Tallahassee Cascades Park and working out in the gym.
During her cause-filled walk in Tampa, Littles will be taking each step with her prosthetic leg, moving forward to give others a chance to achieve their dreams.