A wish a week.
That's about how often the Children's Wish Foundation grants a wish to a Saskatchewan child dealing with a life-threatening illness.
For 24 years, the foundation has been running a lottery raising funds to offer the gift of hope to more than 800 Saskatchewan children.
Gay Oldhaver of the Saskatchewan chapter of the Children's Wish Foundation says this year's lottery is underway, with an early bird deadline of Sept. 19. The final ticket deadline is Oct. 3 and all draws will go on Oct. 9. There will be a grand prize of either a custom built home anywhere in Saskatchewan or $1 million in cash. Numerous other prizes are available as well.
Battlefords area residents have won prizes through the Children's Wish lottery, but those wins don't generally make the news like other lottery wins since the foundation doesn't ask winners to provide publicity, says Oldhaver. She did say, however, that a local resident won a recent vacation for life prize, and opted to take $115,000 in cash. This particular winner has been buying Children's Wish lottery tickets for many years, she added.
All the proceeds from the Saskatchewan chapter lottery stay in Saskatchewan and go toward making the wishes of Saskatchewan children come true.
Oldhaver says wishes are not only given to terminal patients, but to any child with a life-threatening or high-risk condition. While anyone can refer a child, the child's parents or legal guardians must agree.
The organization does everything it can to make a wish come true once it has been determined a child is eligible.
Eligibility is based on diagnosis, says Oldhaver, and it is not income-related. Eligibility requirements are always under review, she adds, in response to changes in medical treatment. It's a way of making sure eligibility remains relevant, she says.
The team does its best to meet the wish of the child and works with the family to make it the happy experience their child envisions. Some of the most popular wishes include, travel, entertainment centers, computer systems and meeting celebrities.
Sometimes the wishes are simple, but life-changing for the child, says Oldhaver.
Other times, it can be very challenging to come up with the best scenario, but it's worth it, she adds.
The Saskatchewan Chapter of the Children's Wish Foundation has been granting wishes since 1986. The provincial office is in Saskatoon. With a staff of four, backed by a team of dedicated volunteers and a supportive board, they never turn down a wish child, thanks to the support of the public, corporate sponsors, planned gifts, donated goods and services and funds raised through special events and the lottery.
Following is a letter to the Children's Wish foundation from the father of one of the children who received a wish recently:
Dear Children's Wish Foundation,
On Aug. 10, 2009, my wife Giselle and I, along with our sons Owen, Liam and Joshua, were set to begin a family adventure that would open our collective eyes to the world and perhaps draw our family closer together. We were off to China as I accepted a one-year teaching contract at an international school. Unfortunately, only 15 days earlier our dream was shattered with Owen's diagnosis of cancer.
Unlike a temporary relocation of residence, how could our family prepare for such a horrible journey we were about to endure? Hospital staff helped us as best they could with counselling and medical advice, but still our concern came mostly through the diminishing spirit of our four-year-old son.
Hopes and goals became the focus of discussion with Owen, which lifted his spirit. After acknowledgement from the Children's Wish Foundation that Owen had been approved for a wish, it became one more tool in our arsenal of future goals that strengthened our resolve and will to fight Owen's disease. The wish became a weekly discussion topic and research tool that exposed Owen to other children's battles and accomplishments. We used stories posted on-line to inspire our son. We wanted Owen to believe that wishes do come true.
Owen's wish came true in late December 2011. His selection of travelling to Japan was almost like coming full circle back to 2009 when our family originally prepared to travel to Asia. It was a powerful and spiritual gift, proof that hope is always present no matter how dire the circumstances; a child who is dealing with sickness needs hope.
The wish also provided our family a second chance to travel abroad. It is my hope that my boys who witnessed the act of generosity through the Children's Wish Foundation, especially the fundraiser Exile Island, will some day provide for others in their own way.
Owen is a warrior and the granting of his wish solidified it in his mind. In his future I see greatness and the ability for Owen to pass on his strength to many. He has been inspired by the event of his wish and I believe he will carry on with the tradition of the Samurai and "serve."
With great appreciation,
Timothy Biggins (Owen's dad) and family
