Local News
Friday, July 09, 2010
The trip of a lifetimestaff writer
While Make-A-Wish Foundation of Northwest Ohio, Inc. can’t erase what a child with a life-threatening illness goes through medically, it does everything possible to give back a bit of the childhood that was lost during the battle for good health.
Dugan Smith, 12, Fostoria, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, the most common form of bone cancer, two years ago. Dugan and his family opted to proceed with the amputation of his right leg in order to give him the best chance of beating cancer while allowing him to eventually run and jump again. For the active baseball player, that was important to him.
Dugan’s treating physician contacted Make-A-Wish and referred Dugan to the program. Kimberly Ray, wish program manager of the northwest Ohio chapter, said it is not up to the Foundation whether a child is eligible for a wish, but the child’s doctor.
The physician also has to approve the wish and the timeframe. While most children receive their wish within six months to a year, Ray said, Dugan was unable to receive his wish of going to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., immediately.
“We wanted to wait until he was comfortable walking in his prosthetic before going to Walt Disney World,” Dugan’s mother, Amy Miller, said.
Waiting sometimes makes the most sense for Make-A-Wish.
“If you’re going to send a child to Walt Disney World, you certainly want them to be able to enjoy it,” Ray explained.
Ray said the doctor also categorizes the child’s illness for the Foundation as either malignant, degenerative or progressive.
“Once that happens, then I assign two volunteers, who I call wish granters, to each child,” Ray said.
The wish granters set up an appointment to meet with the family and give the child a welcome packet and information. If the child knows what their wish is, it’s only a matter of filling out the paperwork, Ray explained.
Make-A-Wish
The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants wishes for children ages two-and-a-half to 18 years old, who are facing life-threatening medical conditions.
Ray said many people think children must be diagnosed with terminal illnesses to qualify, but that isn’t true.
“A lot of people won’t talk to us because they think if they talk to us, they have to accept that their child is dying,” Ray said.
Ray said originally Make-A-Wish worked with terminally ill children, but with advancements in medicine, many conditions that were once considered terminal can now be treated, which is why Make-A-Wish has changed its mission statement to reflect its dedication to helping children with “life threatening medical conditions.”
Ray explained at the time of the referral, the child must be dealing with a condition that has put their life in jeopardy.
Not all children qualify for Make-A-Wish, but Ray said a child can keep getting referred until the age of 18 if a situation changes. Make-A-Wish also tries to connect children who do not qualify with other organizations which are more appropriate. For people who reach the age of 18, Make-A-Wish would refer them to the Angel Foundation, which is for adults.
Ray said after a child has met with the wish granters and chosen a wish, Make-A-Wish works with the chapter in the state where the child would like to go. The chapters work together to make the wish a reality. In cases where a child wants to meet a celebrity, the Foundation works with a chapter in the state where the celebrity is located.
The Wait
Because Dugan’s wish took longer than the average to grant due to his desire to become comfortable on the prosthetic leg first, wish granters stayed in contact with him regularly.
Ray said wish granters usually do, but especially when a child’s wish is delayed.
Miller explained the wish granters knew Dugan was a fan of LeBron James and they sent posters and bobble-heads to Dugan. They even sent him tickets to a Cleveland Cavaliers game.
“I just can’t say enough good things about them,” Miller said of Make-A-Wish.
Miller said the wish was granted this summer and the family was picked up by limousine June 19. Included in the trip with Dugan were his mother and stepfather, Amy and Jason Miller; father and stepmother, Dustin and Erin Smith; three-year-old sister, Raegan Miller; and 12-year-old cousin, Lance Smith.
“Within the confines of the wish, the foundation pays for everything that pertains to the wish,” Ray said.
What this means is that picking the family up, costs at the airport, arrangements after the family lands, accommodations and food are all taken care of by the Foundation. Ray said money is also given for souvenirs.
“It’s sort of a ’pack your bags and don’t worry about a thing.’ We’ve got it covered,” Ray explained.
The Trip
The limo took the family to Detroit to catch their flight to Florida. When the family arrived in Orlando, they were taken to Give Kids the World Village in Kissimmee, Fla., a resort which caters to organizations such as Make-A-Wish Foundation.
“It’s huge. You have your own little villa that you stay in,” Miller said.
Dugan and his family were given tickets to Walt Disney World, Universal Studios and Sea World.
But there was plenty to do at Give Kids the World Village.
Ray said there are swimming pools, carousels, pony rides and fishing at the village. Everything the family ate there was at no cost to them and Miller said the volunteers did not want the family to lift a finger, even insisting on carrying their trays to the tables for them. Miller said the breakfast buffet was huge, but there was one item on the breakfast menu, Miller couldn’t say no to.
“It’s the one place and the one time that you’re allowed to have ice cream for breakfast,” Ray said.
The ice cream shop at the village opens at 7:30 a.m. and closes at 9:30 p.m. With no cost, the ice cream servings quickly become an all-you-can-eat and the children on Dugan’s trip took full advantage.
“Anytime your kids wanted ice cream, the joke was that you can’t tell them no, so they ate ice cream all the time,” Miller said.
Miller explained a volunteer would show up at Dugan’s door every day and bring a gift for each child. From bookbags to puzzles to stuffed animals, there was always something.
Dugan’s sister met various Disney characters on the trip, Dugan was soaked by dolphins at Sea World, Dugan was able to participate in a small way by marching around in a circle during a show at Walt Disney World and Lance and Dugan were able to ride attractions based on movies and characters they both loved at Universal Studios.
Miller said Dugan and his family did not have to wait in line for anything, either. They could go right in for rides and sat in the front row for shows.
While Dugan was enjoying himself, Miller said there were moments that put everything in perspective, such as seeing children at Give Kids the World who had illnesses and had not yet been as successful as Dugan in the battle against cancer.
“It makes you more aware of how precious the time you spend with your child is,” Miller said.
It would be difficult for the children to pick which part of the trip was their favorite, due to all the activities, but Miller knows exactly what she enjoyed.
“Just getting to watch Dugan just be a kid,” Miller said, reflecting on how fast Dugan had to grow up in the past two years.
The Future
Dugan is now home from his trip and Ray said Make-A-Wish is in the process of doing follow-up with the family. Information and pictures are collected from the family to share on Make-A-Wish’s website.
“Same families and wish-granters make connections and that’s between them,” Ray said of continued interaction between the families and Make-A-Wish.
While there are various events which invite children from Make-A-Wish to come together, Ray said the biggest thing the foundation does is have a yearly holiday party and invite all the “past and current wish children” and families to join in the fun and reconnect.
Ray said the wish-granters enjoy seeing children again who have graduated and doing very well or who have gone through a growth spurt and tower over the adults. For the children who are still recovering, Ray said it’s nice to see them healthier and some children who survived cancer love showing off their hair that grew back.
But the holiday party is still months away and Dugan and Miller are still enjoying the recent memories of Dugan’s granted wish.
Miller said her son enjoyed every minute of their vacation.
“I can’t even describe it in words,” Miller said when asked what the trip meant to her.
Miller explained the family used to travel together every summer, but that became difficult to do once Dugan was diagnosed.
“For him to be able to do this trip with all of us, just meant a lot to all of us,” Miller said.
Dugan continues to get scans and have his lab work checked by his physician who is watching to make sure the cancer does not return. Dugan will have his yearly CAT scan Monday.
“From him doing chemotherapy to what he’s doing now, he has handled this very well and he knows that every day is going to get better,” Miller said.
Miller has a hopeful outlook for next summer.
“We’re hoping by next year he’ll be running and jumping and bending his knee just like you and I do,” Miller said.
While the wish was a good experience, the path that led Dugan to having it granted is not one Miller would have wished for, but she explained it taught her a valuable and painful lesson.
“It can all go away tomorrow,” Miller said, regarding a typical life with healthy children many people might take for granted.
But the experience has also shown her Dugan has a special purpose.
“He’s here with us for a reason and he’s going to grow up to be a very special young man who will inspire others like he has with us,” Miller said.
To volunteer at Make-A-Wish, call 419-244-9474 and ask for Pam. To refer a child or get more information about referring a child, ask for Kimberly Ray.
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Ph: (419) 435-6641 • Fax: (419) 435-9073
113 E. Center St. • P.O. Box 947
Fostoria, OH 44830
The Findlay Publishing Company
P.O. Box 609
Findlay, OH 45839-0609
Phone: (419) 422-5151
www.findlaypublishing.com
Please read our privacy guidelines
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