Strathmore family receives an unexpected surprise

Miriam Ostermann
Times Associate Editor

 

Having been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at a young age, Lauryn Dirks’ chronic illness poses numerous stumbling blocks for the 12-year-old.
However, while the disease poses some drawbacks, it also produces opportunities not readily available to other kids her age – opportunities her family of six is not likely to forget.
For the past three years, Rocky Mountaineer and the Starlight Children’s Foundation Canada have been honouring those living with chronic illness and their families with a weeklong train-ride through the Rocky Mountains, through their initiative Life Changing Train for Heroes. This year two out of the 12 families who boarded the train live in Strathmore.
“We just knew it was a great opportunity for families to come together and interact with other children who have serious or chronic illness and spend quality time with each other,” said Hilary Strath, communication specialist with Rocky Mountaineer.
“Lauryn (is) a perfect example of this. They’re just so humble, none of them felt that they needed or deserved this more than anyone else and that’s sort of what the Life Changing Train for Heroes is all about. I’m not going to say they’re unsung, but they are heroes that don’t know they are, and they don’t even see that they need this. But they’ve all come away with it so honoured that they’ve been on it.”
Nearly 50 individuals travelled together from Sept. 28 to Oct. 2, starting out in Vancouver, B.C. and embarking on a five-day journey through the Canadian Rockies aboard the famed Rocky Mountaineer train.
Owing to the partnership of the non-profit Starlight Children’s Foundation and Rocky Mountaineer, families were left in awe by special activities that included music lessons, gondola rides, popcorn parties, campfires, star gazing with an astronomer, and on-train cooking classes.
For Dirks, seeing the British Columbia landscape through the train windows turned out to be her highlight of the trip, when the train took the families to Kamloops for an overnight stay and later to Lake Louise for the final destination.
However, while the Dirks family was left amazed by the entertainment and activities offered, it was the quality time the family, which also consists of nine-year-old triplet boys, was able to share.
“We’re a family of six, so even just the opportunity for a large family like ours to go on a holiday like this is unbelievable, because we all got to go,” said Lauryn’s mother Heather Dirks. “It seriously was the most amazing week of our lives, and I’m not exaggerating. It just felt like we were in a dream. We got so much time together as a family and just doing fun things that we all enjoyed. We met some amazing people from around the country who have trouble with illnesses as well, and just came home feeling excited and grateful to live in this beautiful country.”
The Starlight Children’s Foundation, which is committed to providing support programs, grant wishes, and help for families in and out of hospitals, selected the participating families from across Canada based on whether they had been on an escape trip with the foundation before and depending on if they were deserving of the trip, Strath said.
Each year the decade-long charitable partnership also results in 15 families taking part in the Sea to Sky climb from Vancouver to Whistler, B.C. As such, the organizations once again worked together for this year’s Life Changing Train for Heroes in its third consecutive year.
Also on board was 12-year-old Strathmore resident Danielle Leys and her family, who were unavailable for comment.
While the trip provided an unexpected treat for the Dirks family, the foundation has aided the family in providing encouragement over the years, and creating connections between different families and kids facing various challenges.
“Lauryn works really hard to stay healthy and we all work hard as her family to keep her healthy,” said Heather Dirks. “It’s not a curable disease and she’s going to have it for the rest of her life. She does everything that every other 12-year-old can do, it just requires a lot more time, thought, and effort. The Starlight Children’s Foundation and the Rocky Mountaineer give you a boost and encourage you to keep going. They just really get it, that it’s something you live with 24/7 and bringing the families together is really cool and we’re really thankful. We’re spoiled now.”