For a family from Le Mars with a strong Cyclone tradition, sending a third daughter to Iowa State would mean the realization of a dream and a triumph over nearly impossible odds.

Tragedy struck Dean and Paula Hanno’s family in October of 2003 when a severe car accident left their youngest daughter Megan, who was then a 17-year-old senior in high school, in a coma for several months.

Since emerging from the coma, Megan has been undergoing physical therapy and rehabilitation but still cannot move without the help of a wheelchair.

Despite Megan’s disability, Paula said her daughter still dreams of following in the footsteps of her two older sisters by attending Iowa State.

The university invited the Hanno family to watch Saturday’s football game from the Jacobsen Athletic Building and honored Megan after the first quarter.

The 42,686 Cyclone fans in attendance cheered after Megan’s story was read over the public address system, prompting an emotional response from the entire Hanno family.

“It really means everything to her,” said Megan’s sister Kelli, a junior in early childhood education.

“It brought tears to my eyes. Everything involving Iowa State is Meg’s dream, and I’m so glad she got this opportunity.”

Paula said Megan’s condition must continue to improve before she can attend Iowa State, but she’s already come a long way.

“For the longest time,” she said, “going on to school seemed outside the realm of possibility, but she’s improved so much since then.”

She said she no longer discounts any of Megan’s goals as impossible.

“If you know her, the word she lives by is ‘believe.’ If anyone can do this, it’s Meg,” she said.

Megan has wanted to enroll at Iowa State since her sister Noelle Kneip graduated with a degree in liberal arts and sciences in 2001, Paula said.

“Since pretty early on, Meg has come down to campus to visit Noelle,” she said. “It feels like home.”

In July, NBC’s “Three Wishes” television show helped Megan realize one of her dreams by recreating the 2004 high school commencement ceremony she was unable to participate in with the rest of her class.

“It was wonderful for her to finally graduate with her classmates,” Paula said. “NBC rolled back the clock to recreate the ceremony and a lot of her classmates actually came back to participate.”

Kelli said the whole family has pitched in to help Megan with her rehabilitation.

“We do everything we can to get her through therapy,” she said.

Megan has been going through exhaustive rehabilitation programs since the accident, she said, and the family will continue to support her, no matter the cost.

“It’s a long process,” she said. “You have to re-learn everything you already knew, like walking and talking.”

Paula said the brain injuries sustained by Megan prevent her from establishing a timetable to enroll at Iowa State.

“There is no goal, as far as time’s concerned,” she said. “With her type of injury, you can’t rush anything, but you always want to encourage progress.”

She said she wants nothing more than for all three of her daughters to receive ISU degrees.

“Both Noelle and Kelli felt like this was the place for them,” she said, “and Meg’s probably the biggest Cyclone fan you’ll see.”