A CTV News story on a bus-loving Victoria toddler with a rare muscular disorder has sparked an outpouring of support – and the trip of a lifetime.
Three-year-old Dominic Orr was diagnosed with Prader-Willi syndrome when he was born in Williams Lake and his father left shortly after.
It’s a complex condition that effectively renders the toddler unable to use his muscles properly or even speak.
“I’m his physiotherapist, I’m his doctor, I’m his mom, I’m his companion, I’m his speech therapist,” says his mother, Stephanie.
But she discovered one day that her little boy loved to watch vehicles pass by at a nearby bus stop – and now takes him to watch the buses multiple times per day.
“I just find stimulation, vehicles, dump trucks, buses especially – he loves. He gets very excited, he’s expressive and that’s what I strive for,” she says.
CTV’s Adam Sawatsky ran a story on the adorable tot last week, showing Dominic’s excitement each time a double-decker BC Transit bus passed by.
Officials at BC Transit took notice – and wanted to give Dominic the experience of a lifetime.
So Friday, he got to travel to BC Transit headquarters, where he got a private tour, rode a bus in the driver’s seat, and went through a car wash.
The youngster exploded with joy when he got to honk the vehicle’s horn, and in another touching moment, Dominic got so excited watching a bus come off a ramp he was brought to tears.
“I think their story just touched so many of the people here at Transit, so the entire organization reached out to us and said we need to do something for this family,” said spokesperson Tania Bonfield. “They’re a part of the BC Transit family now.”
It was an amazing experience for both son and mother, who says she’s too busy taking care of her son to maintain a job.
“That’s my motivation for just wanting to get up and do right by him,” she says. “My whole purpose is just to keep him happy. That’s my goal.”
It’s not just BC Transit who have stepped up to help after learning of Dominic’s condition.
Viewers have launched a GoFundMe campaign to ease Orr’s financial burden of being a single parent of a child with a rare condition.
The campaign, called “Our little bus boy,” has already raised $460 for the family out of a $1,000 goal.
The page has also been updated to say Dominic's third birthday is on Saturday, and it'll be marked with messages of kindness from around the Island.
“I have a feeling that your son is going to surprise a lot of people by the huge impact he will have on this world,” wrote one donor.
“Stephanie you are an inspiration and your little Dominic has given us more than you will ever,” wrote another. “Thank you."
