A Special Surprise | Making wishes come true
Cape Coral boy enjoying a really cool summer, thanks to gift
Wishes do come true, just ask Cape Coral youngster Owen Hart.
Hart, now 7 years old, was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of 2.
After nearly three years of chemotherapy and achieving remission, Hart recently received a special surprise courtesy of Make-A-Wish Southern Florida when he looked out his back window to find an above-ground pool.
You see, Owen loves to swim. His mother, Amy Burge, calls her son a fish. It was Owen’s wish to have a pool right at home to hit the water whenever he wanted. On the day his pool was revealed, it took no time for the resilient youth to jump right in, the smile on his face bold and full of joy.
“He was standing in the kitchen and he looked out the back window and he was like, ‘Mom! There’s something in the backyard!,'” recalls Burge. “And I was like, ‘What Owen? What’s in the backyard?’ And he said, ‘A pool!'”
Surrounded by family and Make-A-Wish Southern Florida representatives, Owen splashed, swam, and played to his heart’s content.
“I think he’s half fish,” Burge said “He always wants to be in the water. It’s easier to have a pool in the backyard than it is to find a pool to jump into.”
Owen even showed concern to his mom about the time of day, as it was getting a little late in the afternoon, but Burge reminded him that his new pool is in at the home, and there’s not a closing time.
Burge and Owen moved to Florida in December of 2019 from Ohio, right before the pandemic.
In May of 2020, Burge noticed her son had some bruising that was lasting longer than bruises should. Burge asked his doctor to look into it, and discovered his hemoglobin levels were low. The doctor ordered more bloodwork and Burge got a call the next day that Owen had been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and was admitted to Golisano Children’s Hospital.
Owen initially spent 34 days in the hospital, and was then in-and-out for more days than Burge can count undergoing infusions, chemotherapy, lumbar punctures, bone marrow biopsies, and more.
Burge said throughout his treatments, Owen showed incredible resolve and spirt.
“It didn’t phase him,” she said. “He just showed up. He couldn’t walk and he hurt and he would cry, and then he would feel better. He would always try and feel better, that’s how we got through. If he had a hard day, he would look at me with his big blue eyes and I would say, ‘Owen, it’s getting better.'”
One thing Owen always had to have around him was his trucks.
“As long as he had a truck to play with or something with wheels, he was good,” Burge said.
Being new Cape Coral residents, Burge didn’t have much of a network other than her mother and brother who also moved down. She said the staff at Golisano became that network for her and her son.
“They were our family,” she said.
Owen technically achieved the status of remission a month into his treatment, but was required to undergo nearly three years of chemotherapy to ensure the cancer did not return.
“It was a gradual climb to getting better,” Burge said. “The goal is to keep you in remission during treatment and afterwards. He maintained it throughout his treatment. His last dose of chemo was August of 2022.”
While his treatments were completed, Burge said she felt and still feels the good and the bad. Of course she’s immensely grateful her son is doing well, but there’s always that lingering fear of the disease returning.
“I was terrified, because without the medication, was the cancer going to come back?” she said. “But I’m so thankful.”
Hart now follows up every four months to get bloodwork done to keep an eye on things.
It was the staff at Golisano that got Burge and Owen in contact with Make-A-Wish, and his wish was approved while he was still in treatment.
Burge said she was thrilled her son settled on a wish that he could enjoy over and over again. And oh has he ever in just the few weeks since the reveal.
“It wouldn’t be an exaggeration if I said that he didn’t ask about 75 times a day to get in,” she said.
Seeing her son as happy as can be playing in the pool is where Burge said the relief comes.
“What a blessing it is to see him splashing and growing and being so happy,” she said. “He fought so hard for so long, and he doesn’t even know.”
Make-A-Wish Southern Florida Chief Operating Officer Richard Kelly was at the reveal for Owen, and said being able to see the reaction and joy for those whose wishes are granted is the moment that makes everything worth it.
“That’s why we do all of this,” he said. “Why we recruit the volunteers, why we raise the money, why we work so hard to identify the kids that will qualify for our services. We do it for the wish being granted. We do it to see the smiles, laughter, and joy, and what we know to be the lasting impact of that wish.”
Of Owen, Kelly said, “What he symbolizes is what a lot of Wish kids have, and that’s resilience. A lot of times, they don’t know any better in their lives than being sick. For all they have to go through with treatment and doctors visits and being poked and prodded and all of those things, so they have a life that’s challenged. For us to be able to come into their lives and give them something to balance out that challenge — it’s hard to describe the feeling that you get from doing that, and the feeling that not just us being hands-on working with the families, but the people that don’t know the families that donate and just know the stories. They might not ever meet Owen, but they know of the importance of a wish, and how a wish can change the child’s trajectory and work towards healing them emotionally and spiritually. Plenty of doctors have told us, and there are published studies out there, too… that say kids that have wishes, pairing that with modern medicine, can help them heal.”
Make-A-Wish Southern Florida grants life-changing wishes for children who have critical illnesses. The entire family is included in the wish experience and there is never any cost or obligation to them. The chapter’s territory includes 22 counties/four regionals in the southwest and southeast areas of Florida, Tampa Bay, and the Sarasota area, as well as the U.S. Virgin Islands. More than 800 volunteers help the Southern Florida chapter grant wishes.
Contrary to a common misconception, a child does not have to be terminally ill to be wish-eligible.
“People still believe that our children are dying and we’re granting them a ‘final wish’, (but) we try to educate folks, that’s not the case,” Kelly said. “In many cases, there are Wish kids in their 20s and 30s and 40s who have beaten their illness and gone into remission, and thanks to modern medicine, that’s happening more frequently.
“There’s a reason why they’re referred to and qualify for Make-A-Wish, but it is not a death sentence.”
Since being established in 1983, Make-A-Wish Southern Florida has granted more than 15,000 wishes — one of four chapters in the world that has reached that level.
Kelly said this year, they expect to grant 550 wishes locally, as well as an additional 300 wishes via collaboration with other chapters.
“I’m so thankful for Make-A-Wish, and to the donors that provided Owen’s gift,” Burge said. “They’ve made him extremely happy. Owen is special. He’s a force to be reckoned with, and I think that he will make waves in this world.”
Wishes are privately funded, and every year, Make-A-Wish starts at $0. Make-A-Wish raises money through sponsorships, special events, foundation grants, and individual contributions. Make-A-Wish receives no federal, state, or United Way funding. The average cost of a wish is $10,000.
“We have to work our tails off to raise the money to grant the wishes,” Kelly said.
Wish children can be referred by their doctors, social workers, other health care professionals, family members, or even themselves. A child is referred every 12 hours in southern Florida. A Wish child must be older than 2-1/2 and younger than 18.
“There’s nothing like seeing a wish granted,” Kelly, who is now in his 29th year with Make-A-Wish, said. “I’ve seen a lot of wishes granted, and there’s nothing like it. We work very hard on all of the other non-wish things — speaking with (media), promoting wishes, recruiting volunteers, putting on special events, other fundraising activities — we work very hard at all of that. But the reward is seeing a smile on a child’s face and knowing what they’ve been through. Especially if you have kids, you understand. It helps the kids feel whole again, even if it’s just for a moment or two, or a short period of time, it gives them memories they’ll remember forever.”
Kelley said Make-A-Wish believes that what they do is necessary for the improved social, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing of a child.
“People say, ‘Oh, isn’t that nice they (granted a wish),” he said. “They believe that that’s it, the end, the child goes back to their status and we move on to another wish, but that’s not the case. Wishes do have a positive long-lasting, lifelong impact. It isn’t just a nice thing we do, we believe it’s necessary for their improved medical, physical, and emotional wellbeing.”
Burge shared a message to parents out there going through a similar situation with their child.
“Cherish every moment,” she said. “Try and put a positive spin on as many things as you can. Keep getting better.”
For more information on Make-A-Wish Southern Florida, or to make a donation, visit wish.org/sfla.