Caleb has spent the last year in and out of the hospital after being diagnosed with a brain tumor. He has endured 33 rounds of radiation and year-long chemotherapy treatments. His tumor is intertwined with much of his brain, and only a small portion could be removed so, unfortunately, the remaining mass is inoperable. However, everyone is thankful that after these grueling treatments and hospital stays, doctors now are labeling his tumor as stable and his family is hopeful it stays that way.
On a beautiful Fall Saturday, all this was put behind and replaced by a memory of friends, fun, and a wish-come-true. It began with the sounds of a siren blaring and getting closer and closer to home. A caravan, led by an official MN State Patrol car, pulled up to his home and Trooper Darren Ficek smartly went to Caleb’s front door and asked him to join him outside. As Trooper Ficek escorted him to his car, he discovered the street filled with a gaming truck from HyperSpace Starcade, cars of family and friends, Television reporters and a pile of gifts in the backseat of the car. Caleb’s surprise Wish Reveal had begun!
In his wish interview, Caleb talked about loving video games and how he hoped to own his own gaming laptop…and that is exactly what he found as he unwrapped the gifts. Wishes & More collaborated with a few gaming companies and put together a fabulous gaming package, including an Alienware laptop, external hard drive, wireless mouse, mousepad, gaming headset, gaming keyboard, gaming chair and Steam gift cards to purchase games. He then spent the next 3 hours enjoying a gaming party with his friends and loved ones, playing video games and enjoying a pizza party. Mom tearfully shared how bravely her 11-year-old has taken on his challenges, and how this day was an incredible light for her son. She also said that he deserves to just be a kid – not a kid with cancer – and days like today allow him that opportunity. Huge thanks to our friends at the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation for financially sponsoring Caleb’s wish, to the Minnesota State Patrol for helping us surprise Caleb, and to HyperSpace Starcade for donating the 3-hour party for Caleb to enjoy.
Caleb’s prognosis ensures that hospital stays will be on his schedule for the unforeseen future, so the gaming laptop will travel with him to and from the hospital and will hopefully give him a sense of home while he’s in-patient at Children’s Hospital and serve as a distraction from his treatments.
Enjoy the media stories highlighting Caleb’s wish : WCCO – https://cbsloc.al/38x4ut0 KSTP – https://bit.ly/3kjMswg
