Sister S-HERO Day (Part 1)

In my wildest dreams a year ago I did not imagine what we'd survive to get to today. 

Last year in March we were all reeling from Ollie relapsing in his brain and going blind a few weeks earlier, getting into remission, being told that he'd need a stem cell transplant, finding out we had three perfect matches on the registry only to be told that because of COVID-19 just arriving we'd need to use Abby's half match stem cells instead and moving to and settling in Toronto to ready for stem cell transplant. And all while navigating the unknown of a pandemic.

This day last year was one of the most emotional of my entire life. It's right up there with my wedding day and Abby and Ollie's births in terms of most memorable and beautiful. For on this day, March 31st, 2020, our then 11-year old donated lifesaving stem cells to her 7-year old brother after enduring 5 days of painful G-CSF injections to make that possible for him.

If you've been following along, you'll recall that we were first supposed to use one of the three perfect matches on the international stem cell registry. Unfortunately COVID-19 hit Canada just as we were readying to get Ollie to transplant and because of issues related to flights, timing, and COVID unknowns, we were told that even though Abby was only a half match, she was still the best choice. 

At the time we didn't know much about partial matches or their effectiveness except that only 25% of all families had at least a partial related match. As his sibling, Abby only had a 50% chance of even being a half match for him. Last year her being a half match did not seem like our best chance at long term survival for Ollie, but as Abby told us then, her stem cells are overachievers. 😆 Since the beginning of the pandemic the medical world has learned a lot more about how to do successful haploidentical or half match transplants.

So many times over the past year as things were so hard on Ollie's journey to wellness I have tried to remember the strangely beautiful by-products of cancer. Abby's S-Hero day was one of the best. I think back to those 6 hours at Sick Kids Hospital in the Dialysis Unit where I watched her maturely and selflessly allow every drop of blood in her body to go in and out of her while cycling through the dialysis machine that collected her stem cells for her brother. Stem cells that would give him her DNA...the one thing that differentiates her from everyone else on the planet and that she'll now forever have to share with him. 

I know she was scared...I was terrified for her. Not so much of her donating - which she did with incredible grace - but of her donating and despite her desire and sacrifice to save him, it not working for him. That prevailing fear has stayed with me for 365 days through:

-  the anguish of his second and so unexpected (by optimistic us anyways) relapse just 8 days before he was supposed to get her cells on April 8, 2020, 

- the uncertainty of radiation and a new untested drug called Lorlatinib (which proved to be a miraculous combination), 

- his actual stem cell transplant last summer, and 

- his 254 days of recovery since. 

I feared his transplant not working not just because it meant we'd be battling cancer again, but also because I feared Abby having to live with the agony of not being able to save him after all she'd sacrificed. I worried about losing my son AND potentially losing my daughter to mental health issues if her stem cells didn't work. Thank goodness God and science were with us and Ollie has remained well with NED (cancer speak for No Evidence of Disease).

Since her stem cell donation, Abby and I have become public advocates of stem cell swabbing and donating, doing many interviews and writing articles whenever the opportunity presents itself. We know of at least a few young people who have gotten their swab kits from Canadian Blood Services and are now on the registry because they were inspired by Abby and Ollie. This is where I also want to remind anyone reading that if they're on the registry (or knows anyone who is), don't forget to ensure that Canadian Blood Services has up to date contact information to reach you if you are a match for someone! Today more than half of all potential donors can't even be reached! Also, swabbing clinics can't be held due to COVID and there have been 70% less people joining the registry over the past year. We NEED healthy people between 17 and 35 to click the link above to help us save more Ollies. Not everyone has  Abby in their family or a match on the registry right now and we don't ever want to hear about a Canadian dying because they couldn't get a match. Not on our watch. Right now we need Canadians to help other Canadians as they're focusing on using Canadian donors until COVID is over and there aren't enough on the list. 

We've also heard from other families who found this blog when searching for stem cell transplant info who have told us how grateful they are that we have shared this journey and how it helped to assuage their own fears about their children's stem cell transplants. To-date we know three of these families have gone through their own successful transplants and their children remain well. These things make the public sharing of our private emotions, challenges and fears worth it. My grandma (who understood cancer too well having helped my grandpa to fight it three times during their 41 year marriage before he passed) always said if you can help someone, you should. I know she'd be proud of how we've handled it all, held on to hope and our belief in God's goodness and tried to pay it forward to help others.

Today we're all well physically and getting better mentally slowly. The transplant and Abby's donation have changed all of us in ways that are sometimes hard to explain. Mostly in the way that we are connected to each other as a family. Like our bond is ironclad and unbreakable now. Like somehow because of the transplant we share the same heart. 

Abby's changed so much in the last year and it's hard to tell what's attributable to cancer, stem cell transplant, pandemic and just normal growing up. I'm sometimes hard on my girl in terms of expectations because I know better than anyone what she truly is capable of and what kindness she has within her. The other day she was feeling down about online learning and her social life (or lack thereof due to COVID) and said what had she really accomplished this year? I looked at her incredulously and told her, "What have you NOT accomplished this year? Donating stem cells to save your brothers life, becoming a nationally recognized advocate and writer for stem cell donation and empathy during a global pandemic, got your first paying job at 12 as a writer, were a good friend, sister and daughter and still got decent grades while doing online learning to keep your brother safe...you're right...what have you  been doing wasting your life like that?" 😂

I will never forget the overwhelming love and gratitude that I felt for her on this day last year. It sustained me in the weeks after as so many unexpected and hard things happened before he finally got her beautiful cells on July 20, 2020. S-HERO always.

* Note: Abby gets two S-Hero days - Part 1 now because this is the anniversary of her actual donation and Part 2 in July on Ollie's Re-birthday as that is the day that she completed her S-Hero mission. More to come!

Hope is stronger than fear

[Ollie stands proudly in the living room in front of the sofa beside his new Buddy Dog Hope who is wearing her yellow Buddy Dog vest.]

Sorry that I haven't written this before now, but it was a busy few weeks and my body and my brain felt like I had been in fight or flight again due to all of the adrenaline from the excitement. It seems my brain doesn't understand the difference between good adrenaline and bad anymore.

On March 5th, 2021 Ollie's life changed yet again. Thankfully the positivity continued and this was a change we had hoped for and waited patiently for 9 months to happen. 

Some of you may recall that last July when we were in Toronto waiting for his stem cell transplant, Ollie was lucky enough to have a visit from a Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) Ambassador Dog (Ziggy and his handler Audrey). We had applied for the CNIB Buddy Dog Program and since then Ollie has talked about little else (dogs and Beyblades consumed him). 

In January, when he was 6 months post transplant and doing so well, Ollie was cleared medically to eventually get a Buddy Dog when one became available. Shortly after that we received an e-mail from Miriam Mas, Program Lead for Buddy Dogs and Ambassador Dogs at the CNIB. She updated us, telling us that Ollie was fifth on the list for a Buddy Dog, so she hadn't forgotten about us, but was checking in to see how Ollie was and to let us know it would likely be a while yet until Ollie would get his Buddy Dog. 

Ollie was disappointed, but resolute in his readiness to wait and we figured it might be another year or so before he got one. Oh well! We figured this would give him even more time to be stronger and healthier when his dog finally came. 

A few short weeks later I got a call from Miriam. She explained that because of COVID-19 and the Buddy Dog Program not being considered essential (which frankly I believe it should be as it serves children who are blind and low vision, improving their mental and physical health and providing important resources to help them navigate their world of darkness), they were unable to travel beyond the Ottawa area to deliver the Buddy Dogs and train their new handlers. 

It just so happened that she had two Buddy Dogs ready to go to their new homes and given they had no idea when they might be able to travel again (we are currently experiencing the third wave of the pandemic with no end in sight) and the training facility is in the Ottawa area (in Carleton Place), she wondered if Ollie might be ready to have one so that the program could continue helping kids and give one of the dogs a loving home. Ollie had heard me on the phone with Miriam and insisted I put her on speaker phone. He was beyond excited and begging me with his own puppy dog eyes to say yes. 

What other answer could there be for my beautiful boy who survived a rare cancer with a double relapse in his brain and spine, went blind, had a stem cell transplant and made it back to wellness with his incredible grit?! Of course we were taking the dog! 

To give you context, Buddy Dogs begin as trainees for the Guide Dog Program, and are bred (in Australia), raised in Canada and trained (all over the country, but in particular at the CNIB Training Centre in Carleton Place) for two years by the CNIB with unbelievable commitment from incredible volunteer puppy raisers. Usually some little thing makes them less suited for the Guide Dog Program, but perfectly suited to teach kids like Ollie how to care for a dog to prepare them for one day having their own Guide Dog. 

Miriam had two sibling dogs to place,  Hope and Ray. As we later heard more about them, we learned that their mama's name was (wait for it...) Abby.

[Abby with her litter during feeding, including Hope, Ray and Owen who were all trained for the CNIB Guide Dog Program. The litter was born February 28, 2019 in Australia.]

Miriam told us that both were gentle, loving dogs in good health and ideal buddy dogs. Ray was raised in a rural setting and was a bit distracted in high traffic areas so we thought he may not be the best fit as we live in a very busy urban area. In Hope's case she had a bit of body sensitivity and didn't like the harness, but since the harness isn't used in the Buddy Dog Program, this was not an issue. Miriam brought both for a walk in our neighborhood before calling to tell us that she felt Hope would be the best fit for Ollie. Ollie was sad not to be able to give Ray a loving home, but was assured that he would be placed soon, too.

[Hope (left) and Ray enjoying exercise during time together in training.]

We also felt that it was perfect that her name is Hope and that is what we clung to during Ollie's incredible cancer and stem cell transplant journey. In fact, that's exactly what our oncologist Dr. Abbott told us on diagnosis day that we must never lose if we wanted Ollie to get well. 

To backtrack for a moment, the day before Miriam confirmed that it would be Hope, this blog post that her puppy raiser Catherine wrote about her popped up in my Instagram feed. I had felt an immediate certainty that Hope was meant to be Ollie's when Miriam said her name and after reading Catherine's post in tears, I knew that this was true.

With my blessing, Miriam shared Ollie's story with Catherine and I reached out to her to tell her how grateful we were for her incredible gift of time, patience and love. She shared amazing "baby" photos of Hope and like a proud parent told us all about how wonderful she was.

[Hope's first official photo as a puppy taken by Career Dogs Australia in front of a backdrop with their name.]

[Hope sitting on a wood beam near the ocean as a puppy in Halifax where she was raised.]

[Hope running in her CNIB Future Guide Dog vest as a puppy.]

[Hope with her face covered 

 in sand in Halifax.]

[Hope sits on a boardwalk in a wetlands area with a beautiful blue sky with clouds and rays of sunlight in the background.]

This is my favourite photo of all that Cathy sent. For me it confirms that Hope was heaven sent.

[Hope in a commercial building in front of boxes wearing her CNIB Future Guide Dog vest.]

Hope was lovingly sent by Catherine to the CNIB training centre in September 2020, just as we were coming back to Ottawa from Toronto after transplant. Another sign for me that she was supposed to be his from the start.

[Hope with a treat on her paw waiting for the command to take it.]

Buddy Dog training is 3 solid days and is more about teaching us than the dog (who is already well-trained after two years). Ollie counted down the days. At one point Hope had a minor cough and out of an abundance of caution for her and Ollie, the CNIB vet monitored her to confirm that it was nothing and she was okay. For those days Ollie was like a worried parent of a newborn...asking us daily for news and praying that she'd be okay and still be able to come on March 5th. Thankfully she was and she did.

[Hope with a grey towel on her head after a bath.]

On the morning of March 5th, freshly bathed the night before, she arrived with Miriam. We had agreed to have Miriam come despite the fact that she tried and couldn't get a COVID test because she was not "essential" and not exhibiting any symptoms. She was well (as were we) and we all wore masks and washed hands a lot for the three days she was here. We figured it was no different than being in hospital where you're constantly exposed to others and after 6 COVID tests in the past year, Ollie was never once exposed to COVID-19. We take few chances and we considered this one low risk and important for his mental health.

[Miriam and Hope arrive at Ollie's house to meet the family. Both.are in the front entrance looking into the living room where the family was waiting.]

Miriam had asked us to let her in the door quietly and then to sit in the living room calmly and let Hope come to us. She says normally the dog will sniff around the house first, then check out the people. Hope came in and went to Ollie right away when she first arrived (watch the video). She knew he was hers. She licked him and then greeted the rest of us excitedly, but gently. 

[Hope sits on the floor beside Ollie and Mario on the sofa.]

She is so well trained and settled down immediately to wait for whatever was to come next.

[Ollie and Mario sit on the sofa with Hope at their feet while Ollie holds her leash and pets her head.]

Ollie was completely in love with her from the start. She's so gentle, yet silly during play and very loving. Much like our gentle, silly, loving boy.

[Mario, Ollie and Miriam sit and watch as Hope lies submissive on the floor and Chewbacca the cat comes to sniff Hope's head.]

Hope was excellent with our cat Chewbacca from the beginning. It helped that she was raised with Cathy's cat (Olaf) and spent time with Miriam's cat in the two weeks before coming to us. 

[Chewbacca is lying on the Ottoman while being petted by Miriam and hanging his paw down to touch Hope below him on the floor.]

Now after two weeks together, Chewbacca and Hope are fast friends and even starting to learn to play together! 

[Buddy Dog Hope lies relaxed on the floor partially on a towel while Chewbacca the cat stretches out on his back at her head and stretches out to touch her head.]

The three days of training were intense for Ollie, who so desperately wanted to do it all perfectly. 

[Ollie holds on to Hope's leash indoors while holding the clicker in his other hand to tell her she has done a good job on the command. Miriam looks on.]

All CNIB Dogs are clicker and whistle trained with a lot of positive reinforcement and some treats of course! They're also kept at an ideal weight (between 60 and 64 pounds for Hope) and their food is measured and weighed carefully twice a day. 

[A masked Ollie stands beside Hope in a snowy backyard while using the "Go Busy" command while Miriam looks on.]

Ollie had to learn to do everything for her. 

[Ollie stands back watching Hope eat after feeding her in her new raised feeding centre with two bowls and storage for dog food underneath]

From feeding...

[Ollie and Hope out for a walk. There  is snow on the ground, but the sidewalk is clear. Ollie has Hope's short leash in his left hand and uses his blind cane in his right. Dawn walks behind Ollie and Hope holding the second longer leash that is used by the adult with Buddy Dogs.]

...to taking her out to "Go Busy", to walking and grooming her.

[Ollie sits on the floor beside Hope's bed while brushing her gently.]

Although Ollie is her handler and primarily responsible, the rest of the family was involved, too. We all learned her commands and how to care for her (in case Ollie needs backup)...

[Abby and Ollie sit on the floor on either side of Buddy Dog Hope who is lying on her side and having her belly rubbed by both.]

...and everyone got to play games with her...

 [Mario puts a treat in front of Hope who is lying on her bed while Ollie and Miriam look on. All are wearing masks.]

...and love her up.

[Ollie sitting on the floor beside Buddy Dog Hope who is lying down beside him with his hand on her head]

She is so smart and quickly caught on to new games that Miriam taught her (like "Go see..." where we'd send her to find one of us, thereby learning our names and "Go Find Dino" where she found a vanilla scented dinosaur dog toy when we hid it).

[Ollie stretched out on his red sofa in his new play space with one arm around Buddy Dog Hope who is lying beside him and resting her head on his belly.]

We don't allow her on the furniture EXCEPT when she is invited onto Ollie's bed on a blanket to sleep with him and he has allowed her to get up on a blanket on his sofa in the new play room with him. 

[Ollie asleep in his bed with arms stretched out and one resting on a curled up sleeping Buddy Dog Hope.]

Incidentally, before Hope came Ollie was still sleeping with one of us most nights because of bad dreams and waking up afraid of the constant darkness. Since she arrived, he's slept with her every night and not been afraid. Progress. She is a terrible bed hog, though! 😄 

On the Sunday after a busy day of Ollie helping to lead a Kids Kicking Cancer karate program fundraiser...

[Ollie wearing his Kids Kicking Cancer karate gi standing proudly beside Buddy Dog Hope who was wearing her CNIB Buddy Dog vest.]

...and all day Buddy Dog training, Hope and Ollie "graduated" (at least informally...official graduation happening online in April!) and we said goodbye to Miriam, thanking her profusely and wishing we could hug her. 

[A framed certificate with a photo of Ollie sitting with Hope that reads: Certificate for Buddy Dog Team Ollie and Hope]

Ollie has adapted well to having a Buddy Dog over the last two weeks, and for the most part has been thrilled to have her. There have been moments where he felt bad if she didn't listen to his commands, but we've been working on it and reminding him that Miriam said that it will take time and patience. That Ollie is the smallest and therefore she is least likely to see him as the pack leader at first. We've all deferred to Ollie and tried to let him do most of the commands if he's in the room. We've also had to teach him how to lower his voice when he commands and not to use his natural excited kid sing-song voice except when he's praising her or playing with her. So much for an 8-year old to learn and he desperately wants to do it all perfectly. 

[Mario, Abby, Ollie and Dawn sit on the sofa together while Chewbacca the cat sits in Dawn's lap and Hope the Buddy Dog sits in front of Abby and Ollie on the floor with her Buddy Dog vest on.]

This is exactly the point of the Buddy Dog Program - to teach them these things so that when he is older he will be completely ready to have a Guide Dog.

[Ollie sits on the floor and bows his head into Hope touching his forehead on her neck as she has her head down. His hands loosely hold her chin.]

Hope has wagged her way into our hearts quickly and at bed time you can usually hear each of us saying "goodnight and love you" to both Ollie and Hope. Because the truth is that the promise of her brought Ollie hope even before we knew she was our Hope.

[Ollie and Hope fast asleep on Ollie's bed while Ollie spoons Hope with his arm around her.]

I've said before many times that I don't believe in coincidences, but that everything is connected. It was Leona from Vision Loss Rehabilitation Ontario who first taught Ollie online Braille and introduced him to her Guide Dog and told us about the Buddy Dog Program. Cathy lovingly raised Hope, and so many volunteers, CNIB staff and donors helped along the way. Miriam gave us hope with the promise of a Buddy Dog during Ollie's stem cell transplant and a reason to get well. Then she literally gave us Hope when he finally did. 

(With thanks to Miriam Mas and Cathy Kieran for the photos and video that each provided). 

Wishes DO Come True

Over the past year we've made so many wishes...for wellness, strength, hope, prayers, understanding, stem cells and of course, an epic Wish from Make-A-Wish Eastern Ontario. 

To set the stage for Ollie's Make A Wish, we need to give some context as to how it all came together.

When we bought our house 15 years ago, it came with a weird little "accessory building" out back that was then part workshop and part really run down former mother-in-law suite. It had been built in the 1950s and looked like it hadn't been updated since the 1970s. The apartment was not only in rough shape, but also not a legal unit, so we simply used the building as garage/storage and figured we'd eventually get to renovating it and using it for something.

In 2008 when I was pregnant with Abby, we had a winter with an extraordinary amount of snow and the roof of the building caved in. The insurance company came in and put a new higher peaked roof on giving us a large attic space (which recently allowed us to finish that space for Abby's epic hang out room - see my previous blog) and insulated and drywalled the downstairs space leaving it open concept for us to decide what to do with it in future. 

The mostly finished downstairs space in 2008.

So we basically used the space to hold the too many things that one acquires prior to marriage, as one renovates or redecorates, what one finishes using with young children and doesn't know what to do with and so much extra unnecessary stuff . 

Too much stuff.

Then in 2017 we decided to apply with the City of Ottawa to get permission to build a breezeway addition between the house and this building to use it as a rec room, kids playroom (upstairs) and storage. After months of red tape, significant expenses for application, legal, architectural design and urban planning and trying to work with an impossible neighbour we'd never met a street over who opposed our project (she lived behind one of our wonderful next door neighbours), we'd spent over $20,000 and were denied. The Committee of Adjustment did affirm that we could use the accessory/secondary building for recreation process, though, just not live in it. We weren't interested in spending more money on appeals nor did we want to make it a carriage  house and rent it, so we bitterly threw in the towel and left it.

Mario joked about tunneling to it from the house, but I just put it behind me and forgot about it. It was another bitter pill to swallow a year later when the neighbour who opposed it sold her house and moved away. Sigh. Yet, it would seem that this was all part of a master plan as we'd need this space for something else eventually.

Fast forward to last fall when we got back from stem cell transplant in Toronto. We knew we'd be home a lot this year and COVID would likely continue to keep us homebound for a while. We also knew that Ollie's collection of Beyblades, Lego, Bakugans, NERF guns, Hot Wheels, etc. were everywhere thanks to the overwhelming generosity of folks who sent him so many things to keep him busy and to bring him joy when he was sick. They needed a permanent home and Ollie never did like playing in the basement, even when he could see.

So we started thinking maybe we should reclaim space and the natural way to do this was by using the back building somehow. At about the same time, Make-A-Wish (which had merged with the Children's Wish Foundation last year) sent us a message asking if Ollie might like to change his wish from a trip to Atlantis Bahamas to perhaps something that could be purchased for him as with COVID they did not anticipate being able to book trips again for a year or two. 

We talked to Ollie about other possibilities and an epic playroom emerged as the best idea. We told him that when COVID was over and it was safe to do so our family would arrange and pay to take him to Atlantis Bahamas or wherever he wanted to go at that point. He started to get excited about a playroom. To include Abby and acknowledge her incredible gift of stem cells to Ollie last year, we decided to finish the upstairs space for her, too (see my previous blog post for pics of her completed upstairs space).

All his space really needed was for us to clean it out of the extra junk we didn't need, add flooring, a fresh coat of paint and a heating source. 

 

We also decided to add a composting toilet and a DIY plumbing-free sink in a small powder room. Naturally these were bought with Ollie's insurance money to make a more comfortable space for him. The composting toilet cost $2,000(!!!) making it the most expensive seat at our house, but was way cheaper than the $30,000 actual plumbing would have and now we will have compost for our gardens in spring!

Like any kid, Ollie was more interested in the composting toilet box than anything else. He had a blast using it as a fort in the living room for weeks after.

The soon to be powder room...

So we used part of what was left of his critical illness insurance money to do his space and Abby's and put the rest into savings for him (e.g. we started a registered disability savings plan for him) to help with whatever he might need in future as he deals with the long term side effects of his cancer and stem cell transplant including his blindness.

Ollie having an epic NERF battle in the almost completed space over the Christmas holidays.

With a little help from some contractors to downsize our unneeded stuff and a general contractor to do the minor work to finish both spaces, we were ready for Make-A-Wish to help us furnish and make it epic.

The finished storage space to house the seasonal stuff we did need and kept.

Ready in January, just in time for furniture from Make-A-Wish to start arriving...thoroughly cleaned and sanitized to ensure that the touches that many contractors (who were very respectful, wore masks and were careful about their interactions with us because they knew of Ollie's medical situation) left behind would not have an impact on Ollie's physical health.

Normally Make-A-Wish buys everything, comes in, assembles and places it all for you and does a big reveal at the end like a home makeover show would! But of course, COVID changed that, too. When we talked to them about the epic play space, they apologetically told us they couldn't do their usual, so we'd have to do the work they couldn't. 

So Ollie and I decided what needed to be ordered and they sent EXACTLY what he chose. Starting with the real heavy bag for karate punching. He couldn't wait, so daddy installed that first.

Every few days something new arrived and he eagerly opened each just like it was Christmas all over again. Each brought him incredible joy. 

It was a bit like when they were smaller and we'd let them open a gift each day in the days leading up to Christmas because the grandparents sent so many things that they were overwhelming if opened all at once on Christmas Day. 

The 4 in 1 Games table was immediately enjoyed and made us take time in between assembling and building to play. 

He had been insistent that the sofa had to be a sofa bed for future sleepovers and had to be his favourite colour - red. When Make-A-Wish called to tell us that the one we picked was out of stock I said we could likely pick another colour since he couldn't really see it anyways. They quickly replied that if he asked for red, that's what he'd get. Thankfully we found another.

He tried out the sofabed part as soon as we assembled it.

Trying out the new hammock chair...

It was hard for Ollie to be patient as we assembled and built, but by trading off we were able to play with him AND get the project done. 

Taking a break from building and playing some family foosball (whomever is on Ollie's team tells him when he needs to play offense or defense and that stinker never loses a game even though he can't see).

We did have to postpone the first reveal date when we learned that the Ikea cabinets we'd ordered (those were bought by Mommy and Daddy) to house the Lego, Beyblades, etc. would not arrive on time. 

Enjoying some Friday night food delivery after the coffee table (with pop up lid) arrived...

Thankfully with some assistance from a wonderful customer service person at Ikea (thanks Fabienne if you are reading this!) we were able to locate enough of the pieces we need and make different combinations to ready the room.

The trickiest proved to be getting enough cabinets for Lego. His collection is epic. We wanted to display all of what he got while he was sick as each is like a hard won trophy and after he went blind, he worked so hard to be able to build them with us again. 

So much assembly...

 Lego cabinets going in...

Once these started going in, I began the weeks long process of collecting all of his Lego from the various cabinets and shelves around the house and placing it in cabinets. And we had to keep buying more to accommodate the entire collection with a bit of space for future, too (since he still had 8 sets he got that he hadn't built yet).

Are you starting to see why we didn't ask Make-A-Wish for actual toys? ;-)

How we did our DIY sink...an Ikea vanity with sink, an RV power pump, new gas cans (one with fresh water from the house and the other to collect grey water), and a bit of tubing.

The composting toilet, complete with a bit of Star Wars humour added as well as a pull down safety rail for Ollie.

 

Finally, March 3rd arrived and was officially Wish reveal day. Vanessa from Make-A-Wish of Eastern Ontario hung out in our driveway to represent and ensure it was exciting for him.

With presents, Gabriel Pizza delivered for lunch and cake, how could it not be a terrific event despite COVID?! 

On our way into the new space (now known as the "Clubhouse") to do the reveal via a Zoom video call so Vanessa and others from Make-A-Wish (Sharon and Isabel who helped with all of the ordering and special additions) could see it, too. Vanessa hung out in the driveway.

Showing off his new accessible TV.

Here's what they got for Ollie (thanks in large part to eQ Homes who sponsored his wish):

- Red Sofa bed

- Coffee table

- End tray tables

- Bucket Chair and ottoman

- TV with accessibility options that allow him to give his TV voice commands

- Video camera, tripod and green screen (he and Abby want to start a YouTube channel to highlight toys for blind kids)

- Hammock Chair

- 4-in-1 Games Table

- Heavy (punching) bag and accessories

- Red retro mini fridge

- Many tactile building and activity kits (e.g. STEM, gardening, etc.)

- Make-A-Wish swag (e.g. T-shirts, backpack, sunglasses, blanket, etc.)

Lego and Tom the Bear (a gift when he was in hospital) now have permanent homes.

A small bit of the Lego on display.

Pic taken day before reveal, but gives a better sense of everything together.

So many cabinets with Beyblades!

Excited to have cake - they even asked what his favourite was! 

Thrilled to be part of the Make-A-Wish family and so grateful to them, their donors, especially eQ Homes and so many others who helped us to bring this Wish to fruition for him.

Want to help us to "Wish It Forward" for another brave kid like Ollie? You can make a donation here.

Ultimately that was our version of the COVID home reno project! And by extension we gained a clean and less cluttered space in our home, space for the kids to grow into with friends after COVID and for family to enjoy when they visit and many amazing memories of focusing on something positive after so much stress during his many treatments and procedures over the past 16 months.