Parents, Robb and Tara Henderson, never expected their son to need major heart surgery. It was a stressful time from diagnosis to waiting for surgery date. When the date arrived, tensions rose as these young parents worried about their son's health.
Before surgery, they were made aware of Make-a-Wish Foundation. Contact was made and Seth was asked to make three wishes. Seth Henderson, 10, while anxious about upcoming surgery, and not 100 per cent sure about making such requests came up with one - to meet Dion Phaneuf of the Toronto Maple Leafs and attend one of his games. The other two wishes involved travel with his family.
Much to the Henderson's surprise, before Seth was taken in for surgery, they were advised that his wish would be granted. Whether or not this news made an impact or not, both parents could not discount that something in their son grew more determined to get better. Especially when a mere 5 hours after such extensive surgery, Seth was already breathing on his own without further ventilation.
Less than a week before the actual trip, the Henderson's' discovered they would be granted their wish travelling to Toronto April 25 to begin the adventure of Seth's wish coming true. The excursion included an all expenses paid trip for the whole family to attend and it came with plenty of perks.
"I had never flown before and it was kind of cool," said Seth. WestJet is part of the Make -a-Wish partnership so the family flew with them having been given a special sendoff at Boston Pizza on 8th Street in Saskatoon. There they were handed their five-day itinerary for the wish weekend.
Seth's mom Terra said, "It was a good thing Seth was feeling so good for this trip because his immune system has been suppressed since the surgery and he has battled various illnesses since returning to school, so that was sure nice for our son."
Seth's dad, Robb, added, "The entire trip and all the extras were all taken care of for us. We were driven to and from events through a limo that works with the Make-a-Wish Foundation, which was nice in a big city like Toronto."
They were put up at the King Edward Hotel where they had a chance to settle in as well as discover some of Toronto. They were encouraged to rest up for a couple of big days that were ahead of them.
The itinerary included attending the Leafs practice Saturday and then meeting Dion Phaneuf. Robb commented saying, "This was Dion's first encounter with Make-a-Wish, so he seemed pretty excited about it, too. He was very nice to all of us."
From practice, the Hendersons were taken to the Real Sports restaurant, directly across from the Air Canada Centre to have lunch with some of the executives from the Maple Leafs organization. Seth also toured the Leafs locker room and watched them arrive for their on ice session.
The Hendersons were amazed at the number of goodies presented to Seth and the family that included a team signed jersey for Seth, hats, balloons, t-shirts and more. WestJet gave him a package as part of the adventure, as did the King Edward Hotel manager, who presented Seth with an iPod shuffle and a $50 iTunes gift card to accompany it.
Robb states, "The weather was gorgeous while we were there so it helped make touring around a little nicer. Seth had wanted to go to the Toronto Zoo, but due to a labour dispute they took us to the CN Tower instead, and the Hockey Hall of Fame."
Saturday night's game the family was returned to the ACC by limo to be escorted to an executive suite, which they had all to themselves. "That was really cool", exclaimed Seth. "There was non-stop food and you could see the game really good. Even though they lost, it was exciting to see." Seth also added, "I got to meet the whole team before the game, and Carlton the Polar Bear Mascot of the team came to visit us in the Executive Suite. And after the game CBC news interviewed me outside the Air Canada Centre, that was neat."
Monday was another day to explore the city in addition to a special invitation to the Make-a-Wish tea party to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the first wish granted worldwide. The theme was superheroes pointing out that each child on the receiving end of these wishes, were really superheroes in bravery and strength.
Seth has generally been feeling a little better each day since his surgery Jan. 30. Although his mom told us he has contracted Norwalk virus twice and quite easily picks up whatever bugs are floating around the schools and public places due to his immune system being not back up to 100 per cent yet.
"Definitely meeting Dion and watching him play live, that was my favourite part of this trip", exclaimed Seth. "And I definitely know that Make-a-Wish is one of my favorite charities, now".
Robb said he was familiar with the foundation before through their lotteries and advertising and now that he has seen what they are providing to children like his son, they are definitely on his favourite charity list too.
Terra said the whole experience was really "cool" and to see her son's excitement and reaction to all of the royalties bestowed upon him and the whole family was heart warming.
"From the time Seth was on that surgical waiting list in November to his actual surgery date, was a very stressful time for our family. The days leading up to surgery and just waiting that day for his surgery to be done is something that is hard to describe as a parent. Having something special done through this foundation for him was a blessing."
Seth had surgery at Stollery Children's hospital in Edmonton, to repair a hole in his heart. While performing the surgery, they discovered a second hole but it was small and doctors believe Seth will grow out of it. Stollery is the same health centre where former Unity resident, Maeson Stabbler, had his heart surgery and has since been working with his family to hold a fun, fundraiser in the form of a hockey tournament, for the hospital.
The mission of Make-a-Wish Foundation is to grant the wishes to children experiencing life threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. You can find out much more by logging on to their website at www.makeawish.ca.
