Dorothy Westerman
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (July 29/05) - Closing your eyes may not make a wish come true, but for children with life-threatening illnesses, the Children's Wish Foundation is like a magic wand.

Just ask Howard and Angel McKay of Yellowknife, whose daughter Keyona, 10, had a wish granted two years ago by the foundation.

"The family went on a trip to Disneyland where she met all the characters," Howard said.

Keyona, who has a congenital heart problem, "remembers it as a special trip that was for her," he said.

"For larger families to go on a trip like that without having to plan anything is a great thing. There's no stress involved," Howard said.

The Children's Wish Foundation was established to make dreams come true for children between the ages of 2 and 18 years of age old facing life-threatening illnesses.

The foundation has been granting wishes for sick children in the NWT and Alberta since 1997, says Teri Arychuk, head of the Yellowknife subchapter.

"Anything we can do to help childrens' dreams come true will help give them the courage to go on and fight the courage they do have," she said.

After her son became ill in 1997 and had a wish granted through the Calgary chapter, Arychuk decided to start a subchapter in the NWT.

"Every case is diagnosed individually by a doctor. In the North you are medevaced south if you are in a life-threatening situation.

"Once down south, there are representatives from the foundation who keep in tabs with the hospital.

"If they are aware of a child there that warrants a wish, they get confirmation from the doctor and they approach the child and parents," she said.

Because the cost of transportation is so high, Arychuk said many times children will request family members be sent to visit them in a southern hospital.

"The most common wishes are Disney World or seeing the ocean," she said. "We had a family of 11 we flew to Hawaii last year for one week," she added.

There is no limit on costs.

"They've ranged anywhere from $4,000 to $15,000," she said.

The foundation's work is supported through annual fundraising events that bring in more than $100,000 a year.

A formal dinner, dance and silent auction in Yellowknife last February raised $85,000, she said. A golf tournament sponsored by the RCMP brought in $22,000 this year.

Cpl. Ken Morrison of the Yellowknife detachment said "This community surprises me every year. They go well above and beyond with support, even when they are approached by many other organizations."