SASKATOON — A Saskatoon family had to make alternative plans after COVID-19 cancelled a celebratory Make-A-Wish trip to Disneyland.
Eric Alexandrovic is coming up on almost one year of being cancer free at just the age of seven. He was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of three, a diagnosis his parents remember vividly.
“It was brutal. When a doctor comes into your room they are typically in their coat, and they’re so busy they usually answer a few questions and they’re on their way,” Alexandrovic’s step father Blair Fettig said.
“I’ll never forget when that doctor came into that room he didn’t have a lab-coat on and he sat down to talk to us. We knew at that time that there was something more going on, and he told us cancer, he told us leukemia.”
Fettig recalls not even believing the diagnosis at first. “It didn’t seem real. It doesn’t seem like something little boys have to deal with.”
For the past four years Alexandrovic has been dealing with his disease, and in June 2019 he became cancer free.
Alexandrovic and his family had a calendar set up, counting down the days until they went to Disneyland as part of his make-a-wish, but their plans had to be put on hold as things around the world began to change.
Due to concerns about travelling during the COVID-19 pandemic the trip was cancelled and the wish was postponed. However, a plan quickly came into action to try and make up for the trip.
Catherine Lunn, development coordinator with Children’s Wish foundation, who recently unified with Make-A-Wish, says the idea came from her husband suggesting brining Centennial Plumbing Heating and Electrical on board to use their trucks for a parade for Alexandrovic.
“I think when my husband came up with the idea he was just thinking a few service vehicles,” Lunn said, happy with how the event snowballed into something bigger than she had hoped.
“I sent a couple emails out and the Rush got on board, and the Saskatoon Police Department got on board, and the fire department and everybody just jumped on board. Wow the community support is amazing,” Michael Shaw with Centennial said.
“People just kept adding things on ‘oh we can bring this’ and the police even got some aerial footage.”
The parade enveloped the street in the Hampton Village neighbourhood, as dozens of neighbours came pouring out of their homes to also enjoy from a safe distance.
Many of the floats in the parade stopped to get out and give Alexandrovic a gift, a highlight on the day for him.
“It was all the toys!” Alexandrovic said excitedly when asked his favourite part of the parade, also saying how excited he was to go inside and open all his gifts up.
“His smile says it all,” Shaw said. “He looked like he was having a great time. It seriously makes us so happy to see.”
Lunn says that Alexandrovic isn’t the only child that has had a wish postponed due to the pandemic and she is calling on the public to share stories of hope by tagging Children’s Wish Saskatchewan with the hashtag #WishesAreWaiting.
