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 .
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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? ;-)
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.
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.
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