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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2011-05-12, Page 6PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2011.Blyth girl returns from her dream Disneyland trip Here comes the sun(shine) Blyth’s Mikayla Ansley just returned from the trip of a lifetime and volunteers from The Sunshine Foundation, the organization responsible for sending the Ansleys on the trip, recently paid the family a visit with the help of the foundation’s Sunshine Bear. (Shawn Loughlin photo) It may have been a long road getting here, but with just one follow-up treatment in the last 15 months, Blyth’s Mikayla Ansley is well on the road to recovery. After being diagnosed with a rare form of childhood ocular cancer called Retinoblastoma in 2008 just before her first birthday, Mikayla had to endure numerous procedures and treatments in the coming years. These procedures culminated in 2009 when her left eye was removed and she was hospitalized two weeks later with a blood infection. Since then, however, while attending check-up appointments regularly, Mikayla has only required one follow-up treatment in the last 15 months. As part of this success, Mikayla was granted a wish from The Sunshine Foundation that came as a blessing to her family and a dream come true for her. In March Mikayla, her parents Katie and Mike, and her now-13- month-old brother Rodney, embarked on a two-week fantasy trip to Disneyland in Florida. The trip was completed last week with a visit from Sunshine Foundation volunteers and the Sunshine Bear, who Mikayla instantly found a friend in. Donning her red princess dress from her time in Florida, Mikayla greeted the volunteers, thanking them for her trip and pouring over pictures and videos from the family’s time in Orlando. The wheels began turning to send Mikayla to Disneyland in November of 2010, when the application was first submitted. Katie says that with some help from the nurses at SickKids Hospital, the application wassubmitted and the requirements were met and in January the Ansleys found out that they would be going to Florida in a few short months. The Ansleys headed down early, as Katie’s parents were in Fort Myers, Florida at the time, so they spent a week there before making the trip to Orlando to make Mikayla’s dream come true. Initially, Mikayla didn’t name Disneyland specifically as her dream destination. As a big fan of Disney’s Tinkerbell, Mikayla said that she wanted to see the castle Tinkerbell flies over (the Disney Magic Kingdom) and secondly, she wanted to be a princess in a red dress. Both of these wishes came true as Mikayla spent six days at Disneyland where she saw the castle every day and her princess wish came true at a very special tea party later in the trip. When Mikayla heard the news that her wish had been approved, she says she was “excited” and when the family actually got to Florida, she said her feelings were upgraded tobeing “very excited”.What followed were six days of pure enjoyment for Mikayla and feelings of hope and relief for her parents, who had watched her endure countless procedures and treatments that could be generously described as the opposite of a dream come true. “Having the opportunity to experience the feeling of trading in years of I.V. poles and heartache for a crown was an unforgettable sense of accomplishment,” Katie said. “For six days Mikayla got to live on top of the world, jumping and clapping with excitement, having the time of her life. I will forever remember these moments.” Over the course of the trip, Mikayla and her family attended several parades and during every one, Katie said, Mikayla laughed and danced from start to finish. “She was the only one dancing,” Katie said. And although there were plenty of highlights over the next several days, it was a tea party held in THE EDITOR, I realize that in this day and age, that it is maybe hard to sell local newspapers. But after reading and seeing last week’s issue, the picture on page two is totally disrespectful and unacceptable, especially for the families who live and have lived in the community for a lifetime. I know there is lack of respect out there these days, but I thought our local newspaper had more. We all have family crises and don’t need them published in the newspaper like this (especially pictures). What is our small community coming to? Dorothea Ducharme. Letter to the Editor By Shawn LoughlinThe Citizen Writer disappointed Continued on page 17 Habitat for Humanity Comes to Brussels We need your help! Be a builder in one of the following ways: - by being a member of the Brussels steering committee - by making your financial contribution - by donating gift-in-kind materials - by being a volunteer on the building site Habitat houses are a hand up not a hand out. To join the Brussels team contact either: John McDonald 519-887-6277 or Gerry Exel 519-887-9616 (This ad was paid for by a supporter of Habitat for Humanity Huron County) Donations may be made to Brussels Build and sent to: Habitat for Humanity Huron at Box 453 Goderich N7A 4C7 This build will be dedicated to the memory of Henry Exel, a valued member of the Board of Habitat for Humanity Huron County