Wish come true

Shannon LeClair – Times Reporter


There are often organizations raising money for different charities, and often the Children’s Wish Foundation is on the receiving end. Most times, though, when stories are told of those who received wishes, they are not anyone you may know.

Leeza Nielson is from Hussar and she is seven years old. When Leeza was five she was diagnosed with leukemia.

“It started with a cold that wouldn’t go away, it wasn’t getting worse or better. So she was put on antibiotics, and she reacted to it and she got hives which wouldn’t go away,” said Sherri Nielson, Leeza’s mom.  She said one day they were sitting on the couch when she noticed Leeza had little purple dots, which is a sign of petechia. Sherri works at a medical lab in Drumheller where she took Leeza in for blood work. Leeza carried the blood over to the machines and as the results started to come out Sherri knew it wasn’t good. Sherri spoke to a doctor who told her basically she could either take an ambulance or drive herself, but they had to get to the Children’s hospital in Calgary.

“Your whole world turns upside down in less than a minute. We went and it was nine months before we got home again. I had to have a friend go to the farm and wait for all the kids to come home and explain to them why we weren’t there,” said Sherri. She said it was like having two families living in two separate worlds. Her three sons stayed home with her husband, who tried to keep their lives as normal as possible. Sherri and Leeza moved into the Ronald McDonald House, RMH, for the next nine months.

“Other parents who went through the same thing said it was similar, their kids didn’t seem sick, but they also weren’t as perky as they could be,” said Sherri.
Leeza began chemotherapy treatments almost immediately after being diagnosed. When her hair fell out, Sherri shaved her own hair in a show of support for her daughter.

Every patient is assigned a social worker at the Children’s hospital, and she told them about the Children’s Wish Foundation. After they moved into the RMH a rep from the wish foundation came and filled out forms with the family.

When the Nielson family found out Leeza was being granted a wish, a bunch of stuff about Disney adventures was sent to the family. They were picked as a family to go on the Disney Cruise, and Leeza wanted to be on the ship for her seventh birthday.

The Children’s Wish Foundation gave everyone in the family T-Shirts with their logo and requested they all wear it just one day on the cruise. The foundation covered all of the costs incurred for the trip. They also will pay for passports, or anything that is needed for the family.  Everything on the cruise was shaped like Mickey Mouse from the pool to the food.

“The two ears were hot tubs,” said Leeza. Her favourite Disney character is Mickey, and so for Leeza it was an even bigger treat. All of the Disney characters were around for photos everyday, and Sherri said it was like a full time job trying to get photos with everyone.

“The people that fundraise to make sure these things happen don’t get to use the facility or the wish, which to me makes it extra special that they are willing to volunteer their time, volunteer financially and do whatever they have to do, in order for kids to have something special,” said Sherri.

Leeza finished treatment on July 18, but will continue going for checkups once a month for a year. Then it will be once every two months for another year, and after that she will have to go once a year until she is approximately 18-years-old.

“She did amazingly well, and she had a few little side effects, but kids are very resilient and they handle it far better then adults do,” said Sherri. 
The family will be going to Medicine Hat in August to volunteer at a fundraiser CP Rail is holding for the Children’s Wish Foundation on their steam train.