The 19-year-old leukemia survivor got such a chance last month after the Kids Wish Network arranged for her to join the cast of the Travel Channel's "Ghost Adventures" and explore the USS Hornet, a 67-year-old aircraft carrier reputed as the U.S. Navy's most haunted ship.
Guinn was a 17-year-old senior at Buckingham Charter School in 2008 when she collapsed at home and was airlifted to Children's Hospital in Oakland. There she was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia. It was there also that her mother, Brandy, learned of the Kids Wish Network.
The Florida-based charity grants wishes of children and teens with life-threatening illnesses and, the organization reported, Guinn was clearly eligible.
Guinn wanted neither theme park thrill rides nor the sunny beaches of a tropical paradise. She just wanted to meet the crew of her favorite TV program, "Ghost Adventures," and perhaps accompany them on one of their investigations.
"The paranormal has always been a part of my life, there were a lot of stories from my family, but I'd never actually been on a paranormal investigation before," she said.
Not only did the Kids Wish Network start working on her wish, but also a successful bone marrow transplant from her older sister, Keisha, helped put her leukemia into remission.
In February, she and her family were whisked by limousine to Alameda, where she joined "Ghost Adventures" cast members Zak Bagans, Nick Groff and Aaron Goodwin as they began their investigation into the haunting of the USS Hornet, a 1942 aircraft carrier that's now a museum docked at the old Alameda Naval Air Station.
The afternoon was appropriately dark and stormy, and the "Ghost Adventures" cast allowed Guinn to accompany them into the depths of the old Essex class carrier.
Guinn and the cast participated in a search for paranormal activity with electromagnetic field detectors, infrared heat sensors and a specialized "voice box" that any cooperative spirits they might encounter could use.
"I didn't see anything, but we heard these really clear footsteps," she recalled. "They sounded like military boots -- but nobody was there."
Hearing the ghostly footsteps, Guinn said, "was more surreal than anything -- not scary -- mostly just exciting."
When the exploration was complete, the trio showered Guinn with souvenirs from the program along with standard investigative tools, including electromagnetic field detectors, a temperature sensor and hands-free, triple-beamed flashlight.
High on the list of Guinn's gifts was a silver Ghost Adventures Crew pendant that Bagans presented to her.
Although Guinn finds paranormal investigation fascinating, she says her career options are wide open. Among her interests are anthropology, animation and horticulture.
