Special to the Nor’Wester
Kelsey Brown of Port Anson had her wish granted by the Children’s Wish Foundation. Kelsey, just sixteen years old, was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in 2007 and since then has spent every four to six weeks travelling back and forth to the Janeway for treatments. Last Fall she was nominated for a wish through the Children’s Wish Foundation by a social worker at the Janeway. Kelsey and her family received the news back in September that her wish had been granted.
Kelsey’s wish was to go to Hawaii and fly in a helicopter over the volcanoes and this is exactly what she received. Along with her parents, Faye and Jeff, her sister Kisha and brother Kolby, they left for Maui in May and the memories of their trip are still fresh in their minds. Kelsey not only got her wish granted but her and her family experienced a thrill of a lifetime. They spent a week at a beautiful family resort during which time they took a helicopter ride to explore the many volcanoes. The family also took a submarine ride to the ocean floor to see underwater marine life and Kelsey went para-sailing with her brother and sister.
The Brown family all agreed that the highlight of their trip was the helicopter ride; however they said the thing that fascinated them the most was the generosity of the people. From the time they left Newfoundland until they returned back in the province, everyone they encountered went out of their way to ensure they had a comfortable and enjoyable trip. The taxi service that took them from the airport to the resort in Maui presented them with tickets to a spectacular theatrical show depicting the history of Hawaii. They were given VIP treatment for the show with backstage passes to meet the cast and crew. They also met a young gentleman at the resort who befriended them and explained how his sister once had a wish granted by the Children’s Wish Foundation. This young man took Kelsey to a gift shop that he liked and bought her a hard covered picture book of Maui as a souvenir of her trip. The resort they stayed at had a photography studio on site that offered guests family photographs. The resort not only gave them a free 8 x 10 family portrait but gave them all the photographs taken of the family and put them on a CD to bring back with them.
“It was so awesome, and I think that anyone who wants to have an awesome time should go there,” Kelsey said.
Kelsey’s parents expressed how thankful they were for such a wonderful gift from the Children’s Wish Foundation. It is something they would never have experienced otherwise. They thought it important for the public to know what an important charity the Children’s Wish Foundation is, saying that they do wonderful things for the sick children and the wishes granted gives the children encouragement. They also said that anyone giving to the Foundation should know that their money is going to a great cause.
