It is a dream come true for a young boy and his family.
Former Humboldt resident, David Sweeney, was born with giant omphalocele ventricular septal defect. This is a condition where all of his organs herniated to the outside of his body through the umbilical cord when he was born.
From the time he was born, he has been in and out of hospitals, receiving treatment for this condition and other health problems, said his parents, Tracy and Brent.
While David and his parents were at the Calgary Children's Hospital this March, they were approached about the Children's Wish Foundation.
"While we were there, they said he was old enough for a wish (from the Children's Wish Foundation)," said Tracy.
"The Children's Wish Foundation is there to help kids across Canada who have life-threatening illnesses."
With David's medical condition, they were limited to what he could choose for his wish. He doesn't have much of an immune system and doesn't like crowds so a vacation like Disneyland was not an option, said Brent.
They finally decided that something to do with camping would work the best.
"His wish was for a camper," said Tracy.
"He's such a little outdoorsman (and) this way we can make our own little wonderland."
The Children's Wish Foundation granted the Sweeneys with $15,000 for a second-hand camper.
Originally from Humboldt, they decided to look at local dealerships to find what they wanted.
After meeting with the Sweeneys, Garret Porten, RV manager at Â鶹´«Ã½AV 20 Dodge, decided to have a staff meeting to discuss their situation.
"We wondered if we could step up to the plate and put the family into a new camper," said Porten.
After talking to their RV supplier, Heartland RVs, they came up with a plan. They found an RV with all the features the Sweeneys would need.
"We got them a $22,000 camper," said Porten.
The Sweeneys were surprised and overjoyed when they found out what Â鶹´«Ã½AV 20 had done for them.
"It's amazing - they really stepped up," said Brent. "They went above and beyond."
The family is excited to use the camper, not only for camping trips, but also to make the trips to Calgary more relaxing for David.
"That way we can travel to the Calgary Children's Foundation and don't have to worry about getting a hotel room," said Tracy.
The family was very grateful for all the support that went into making David's wish a reality.
"We'd like to thank Â鶹´«Ã½AV 20 and Children's Wish Foundation for making David's wish a reality," said Tracy.
"We never thought they'd do this... We appreciate what they've done and wish we could repay them."
