This past Easter, shortly after her 17th birthday, Paige came down with a severely high fever accompanied by a sore throat, stiff neck, and upset stomach. Oh no – COVID-19! No, that test came up negative. Mono? Strep? – also negative. Doctors continued testing, and to everyone’s surprise and dismay, cancer was the official diagnosis. Since then, Paige has spent over four months in the hospital receiving chemotherapy, transfusions and infusions. These intense treatments have taken their toll on this young lady and it seemed that each round came with a new host of complications. Prior to receiving her cancer diagnosis, Paige had a very active lifestyle, participating in orchestra and Model UN, and a host of activities such as downhill skiing, hiking, biking, swimming, and boxing. Now her “activities” were based around hospital and clinic visits. However, she found joy in focusing her attention on getting through each round by keeping her attention on her wish! Paige shared her wish with Wishes & More in great detail – she wanted to upcycle a storage container by having it as her own retreat and placed on the land of her family’s cabin in Moose Lake. She shared her vision with a drawing of the inside elements and included her ideas for color and design. Wishes & More purchased the storage container and got to work converting it into an extraordinary space – from a solar panel to bunk-beds, a specially fabricated patio door to a wood-burning stove – everything was thoughtfully and carefully planned to Paige’s specs. This past weekend, Paige and a few friends joined her parents to close down the cabin for the winter and were surprised with a wish reveal of a completed container and her vision come together! She was joined by three girlfriends and turn up the sound when you watch them share the discovery of the elements of her personal space.
Our special and sincere thanks go to all of our WAM Heroes who helped us complete this special wish! Bloomington Bed, Bath & Beyond, 45 North Group, Big Blue Boxes, Parsons, North Central Fabricators, Energy Plus, Jotul Stoves, and Wright-Hennepin Cooperative Electric Association among others, came together to support Paige’s wish. Additionally, we want to thank a former wish family, Jason & Sue Kelm, for paying it forward by going above and beyond in hand-crafting numerous interior pieces of the wish – a custom-made cabinet housing a sink, clean water jugs and a five-gallon bucket for wastewater complete with a foot pump and granite countertop, storage benches, bookcase, and a personalized water ski converted to a coat rack. Our hope is that Paige feels the love from all of these people who care about her and know the difference a wish can make during a time of struggle!
Thank you to WDIO TV in Duluth for sharing Paige’s wish on your evening news: https://www.wdio.com/duluth-minnesota-news/wishes-and-more-grants-minnesota-girl-wish/5904665/?cat=10335
