The Children’s Wish Foundation has given a 15-year-old Ontario boy his dream come true, by giving him the chance to see the World Junior Championship in person at Rexall Place.
Jordan Parent was diagnosed with a life-threatening illness 8 years ago, and his 'ultimate' wish was to watch the World Juniors in person.
The family has been looking forward to this trip for nearly a year. It has been a challenging 2011. Living with a sick child can be expensive and challenging, and adding to the stress, Jordan’s mother lost her job a few weeks ago.
Normally on December 26th the Parents would be sitting around in their pajamas, eating leftovers and watching Team Canada on TV. Instead, Jordan decided he wanted to be here in person.
“I had a really hard time deciding about what I wanted to do,” Jordan says, “I kept changing my mind and that thing with the World Juniors, I never stopped asking my mom about it. I kept telling her I wanted to do that and she phoned and told them I was ready for my wish.”
When Jordan was 7 years old he was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a life threatening illness.
Four times a year he travels with his mother between his home in Kapiskasing, Ontario and Toronto for treatment. That’s a distance of 1,000 kilometers each way.
Jordan found out his wish would be granted last January. He's been counting down the days to when his parents and twin sister Jennifer would take their first family vacation in 13 years.
“I've been so patient this year it isn't even funny. I've been counting down the days.”
“I can't believe what they did for him,” says his mother, Michelle, “It's amazing what they do for kids. Just to make them be normal for one day, without somebody poking at them or being checked by doctors or anything like that. He just gets to be a kid today.”
It's the first time anyone has asked the Children's Wish Foundation to be a part of the crowd for the World Junior Hockey Championship.
"At the Children's Wish Foundation we believe in including the entire family,” says Anna Carr of the Children’s Wish Foundation, “it's just the one experience they have together. Getting away from all the illnesses, the treatments, the doctor visits and all the other obstacles they have to encounter.”
But granting this wish wasn't easy. When the family of four arrived an hour before the game, their tickets weren't wheelchair accessible and there was no room in the accessible seating. Moments before the national anthem, two fans graciously moved allowing the family of four to sit together.
The family had never been away from home during Christmas, so they decided to buy a tree for their hotel room, and then decorated it with Team Canada mittens and a Team Canada hat.
They'll spend a couple of days in The City of Champions before heading back to their home town on Thursday.
With files from Quinn Ohler
© Global News. A division of Shaw Media Inc., 2013.