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A Wish of Friendship
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A new baby girl: so sweet and soft. And that smell; new babies have that smell of sweet innocence. Babies bring excitement to everyone’s lives. But, when Kathryn was a baby, her condition stole that excitement before she was even a year old.
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy and a Prolapsed Mitral Valve are large labels for a little baby, but they are the labels that were given to the condition that Kathryn was facing. Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy means that the growth and arrangement of muscle in the heart is abnormal and grows larger and thicker than it should which causes an obstruction of the blood flow in the heart. A Prolapsed Mitral Valve is caused by the displacement of an abnormally thick Mitral Valve in the heart. What did all those labels mean for Kathryn? They meant ten years, three open heart surgeries, and the replacement of a valve in her heart, not to mention the anxiety, fear and anticipation that she and her whole family endured; a little girl going off to fight the battle that her body was born with.
Not long after Kathryn began Kindergarten, she was given a special gift, a best friend named Katie, who would be there for her through the good and the bad. They were the best of friends and completely inseparable.
Kathryn took her fourth trip to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota for her third surgery when she was just seven years old. This last surgery was a big one; they replaced a valve in her heart. Although she will never be able to control the abnormal growth of her heart muscle, a blood thinner and continued monitoring controls her Mitral Valve. About a month later, as Kathryn was still recovering from her surgery, she and Katie received devastating news: Katie and her family were moving to Florida. It was a difficult blow for a little girl who had already been through so much.
Kathryn’s parents were devastated for their daughter and their hearts ached for her. But soon after Katie left, their hopes were lifted when Kathryn was referred to the Wishing Star Foundation. When she met with the people at the Foundation, she was given the opportunity to have any wish she could imagine granted. They were accustomed to granting wishes like meeting someone famous, going to a theme park, or providing something material. But Kathryn’s wish was simple and exact - she wanted to see her best friend.
Seven months after they were separated, Kathryn and Katie were reunited with great big bear hugs and smiles from ear to ear. They were together again, inseparable, like two peas in a pod, chattering away just like the good old days. Another wish of Kathryn’s was to swim with the dolphins and since she was already in Florida, the Wishing Star Foundation granted her second wish as well. Kathryn’s wish trip was filled with lots of well deserved laughter and a reconnection between two best friends who longed to see each other once again. Kathryn was given the opportunity to have any wish in the whole world granted, but she chose the simple, yet extraordinary wish of friendship.
The Wishing Star Foundation fulfilled the dreams of a little girl who, until recently, was a stranger to them. The work that the Foundation does creates hope and joy for families who have already been through a tremendous amount. They will go to great lengths to grant a simple wish for a complete stranger. Kathryn’s parents are grateful beyond words.
Kathryn is certainly not the first, nor will she be anywhere near the last child to receive the laughter and joy that the Wishing Star Foundation provides to children who are facing life-threatening illnesses. In fact, the Wishing Star Foundation has granted an amazing 1,111 wishes in the twenty-four years that it has been changing families’ lives in Eastern Washington and Idaho. Beyond the hope and laughter that is brought to the lives of the kids, the Foundation’s biggest role is supporting their families. In talking with Tracy Shaw, Regional Director of the Boise Chapter, it is apparent how much she cares about each and every child and family that she has met and granted wishes for. She is there for the families that get the bad news that their illness is back, and works with local businesses to adopt Wishing Star families over the holidays. Last year alone, they were able to provide meals and gifts to thirteen families that would otherwise not have had them due to medical costs.
The Wishing Star Foundation is appreciative of the amazing businesses and contributors that have made their cause possible. Businesses like Tiffany Hix Photography, who took photos of all the Wishing Star kids for their Casino Royale fundraiser this last July, and Eagle Hills Golf Course which is hosting the Wachovia Dealer Services Golf Tournament on September 19th. These businesses, along with many others, have been supporting the efforts of the Wishing Star Foundation for many years and are the reason that all 1,111 wishes have been able to come true.
