When Kyla Martin, Director at Children’s Wish, saw the amazing video that a grade two class at Prairie Waters Elementary School had put together showing support for one of their class mates, she knew that a wish was in order.
Kristopher Phillips was diagnosed with Alpha 1 Anti Trypsin Deficiency when he was still a newborn and since then has had a life filled with doctors appointments, tests, needle pokes and a variety of other medical treatments. But this happy second grader has managed to always keep a smile on his face and be an inspiration to those around him.
Kristopher’s classmates have rallied around him and created a heart-warming video that went viral over night and it was that video that led to the surprise of a lifetime for Kristopher.
On Friday June 3rd in an emotional revelation, it was announced to Kristopher that he would be granted a wish through the Children’s Wish Foundation. The Children’s Wish Foundation is a uniquely Canadian charity that helps Canadian children, families and communities by granting the favourite wish of a child diagnosed with a life-threatening illness.
There were very few people in on the surprise –Kristopher’s teacher, his parents and his grandparents were all on hand as Director Martin, who started her presentation by simply telling the students about Children’s Wish but then turned the focus to Kristopher and announced that he would get to have any wish he wanted.
As the parents and grandparents, Murray and Wendy Meldrum who flew in from Southampton, Nova Scotia the night before, entered the room and even the Children’s Wish mascot, Rory the lion – the tears poured from little Kristopher’s eyes, as he could not believe that this was happening. There actually was not a dry eye in the house as everyone watched young Kristopher and his family celebrate this much-needed surprise.
Vince Phillips, Kristopher’s dad, told me, “Kyla from the Children’s Wish Foundation reached out to me via Facebook after the video his class was circulated. She asked if anyone approached us yet about a wish for Kristopher. I said no, and she said that she was quite certain that Kristopher met all of the criteria to be approved for a wish. Over the next couple of days I worked with Sarah and Kristopher was approved. Then we started planning the surprise”.
When asked what this means to the family, Vince answered “It means a few things, one being that it kind of makes up for a few things that he’s missed out on, but mostly that he has something to dream about and plan to take him away from reality a little bit. When things get tougher, or when he is healing after transplant he can think about something exciting and it can be anything he wants, with few limitations”.
Kristopher is currently awaiting a liver transplant and that is his only hope for a cure. In an interview with Vince that I did for an article we ran on Kristopher back in April, Vince explained, “The interesting thing about liver is that it can come from a live donor. We do know of a few close family members and friends that are being tested to see if they would be a match as a live donor. Until a live donor is found we’ll wait for a cadaveric donor (which in itself is a struggle to accept that someone has to die for our son to live), but we hope that everyone reading this story, and other similar stories, can appreciate the selflessness of organ donation that saves lives of people who can go on to accomplish great things in life”.
Kristopher has five years in which to have his wish granted, and Director Martin explained that he doesn’t have to decide right away and he can even change his wish. “Something the child wants now might not be something they want in a couple of years. We can be very flexible”, explained Martin before the big announcement.
So, what does young Kristopher have in mind for his wish? His dad explains, “He’s talked about going to Japan, but once we reminded him he cannot have sushi after transplant he changed his mind to meeting Giada and cook with her in Italy, and then he mentioned Legoland in Denmark, and he’s mentioned a desire to go to Australia one day. So really it’s going to be a surprise for us as well”.
Amber Mrak, Kristopher’s teacher at Prairie Waters Elementary, adds, “When we found out the severity of Kristopher’s liver disorder, we, as a classroom family, wanted to show our support. This project of #TeamKristopher was driven by 25 remarkable kids. The day we shared the video with Kristopher, he cried. The same tears he cried on Friday. Tears that showed how appreciative a little one can be and how moving acts of kindness are. They have inspired peers, teachers, parents and greater community-to come together and (hopefully) remember that our Facebook, Twitter and such social media platforms, can change the world for the better, to support and contribute positively, rather than take one another down”.
While this sweet and brave little boy waits for his transplant, his dad says that the support from the community has meant so much. “All of the community support, from his class, strangers, friends, coworkers, and family has been amazing. We originally hesitated to share Kristopher’s story, but since sharing the story his spirits have been lifted because of that support network. His whole attitude is better, he is laughing and smiling more, he’s coping with medical procedures better, he’s just overall a lot stronger now because of that support. Rachael and I don’t know what else to say or do than give a sincere Thank You to everyone who has been a part of this, in anyway. And be sure to sign your donor card”.
