PHOENIX — “It was gut-wrenching, and I didn’t want to tell him, but I knew we had to tell him right away because we had to leave,” said Stephanie Calkins, a mother of two children.
As Hurricane Ian barreled into southwest Florida, Stephanie Calkins' heart was breaking.
Not only for those in its direct path but for her son Henry who was just two days into a trip with the Make-A-Wish Foundation. One that had been delayed for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It broke my heart because I truly wanted to see both my kids experience something so magical,” said Calkins.
Seven-year-old Henry was born with a rare autoimmune disease that’s forced him to spend much of his life in and out of the hospital. It's a genetic condition that causes his own immune system to attack itself by turning a simple cold into something much more life-threatening.
It's been a hard life for Henry but when doctors approached Stephanie about a trip with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the feeling of joy was hard to describe.
“My heart was just exploding, he’s endured a life of hospital rooms and treatments,” said Calkins. “For weeks leading up to the trip he was counting down the days. He was counting them down with his school nurse.”
After being postponed for years, last week, the family boarded a flight for Florida.
The itinerary was to include visits to Disney World, Universal Studios, and a room at a resort specifically tailored to make children’s dreams come true called Give Kids the World. The hotel hosted events for the kids while providing all the critical medical care a sick child may need.
“They make you feel at home, they make you feel understood, which being a mom of a critically ill kid is devastatingly hard and isolating, so, you feel so much less alone,” said Calkins through tears.
Two days into the trip, Stephanie got the call while walking through Universal Studios and was urgently told they needed to leave, head back to their room and begin packing.
She and four other Arizona Families were being evacuated due to Hurricane Ian. Henry and his sister, waiting in line to meet a Dinosaur from Jurassic Park, were devastated.
“They were in tears of course,” said Calkins. “I was sad for them because we had just gotten there, and they had so much left in store for them.”
“It is not a trip to Disney World the way you and I take a trip to Disney World, a wish trip is extremely special, and they do everything they can to make it so,” said Hollie Costello with Make-A-Wish Arizona.
She says the weather left the nonprofit no choice but to make sure the families under their watch were protected, quickly arranging their flights to get back home safely. But some of them, like Calkins, wondered if they’d ever get to come back.
Costello assured ABC15 it’s a top priority.
“We started talking with Stephanie and her family right away about what kind of dates will work, how can we get you there sooner,” said Costello. “We want Henry and every child to have the Make-A-Wish experience they deserve. Now we just have to coordinate a time to make it happen.”
“Make-A-Wish has been amazing,” said Calkins. “What we did get to do was simply incredible but I really hope he’s able to get the entire experience. He deserves to do something that’s not medical-related. He’s already talking about the things he still wants to do.”