Meet Nash

Nash is a smart, caring 8 year old boy. He loves being outside, especially if it includes camping or fishing! Nash currently plays novice hockey for the team Blue Storm in Cochrane, and his favorite position to play is goalie. When he's not outside or on the ice, Nash enjoys playing Minecraft and making YouTube videos.

When Nash was born, it was discovered that he had Cystic Fibrosis (CF). CF is a genetic disorder in which the body produces too much mucus. It's particularly hard on the lungs, as the excess mucus causes bacteria growth and infection, which eventually leads to scarring on the lungs. Nash's digestive tract is also very affected by his CF; every time he eats he needs to take a pancreatic enzyme pill so that he can properly digest his food.

When Nash was 14 months old, he was also diagnosed with Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency; another genetic disorder that affects his lungs and liver.

When asked about how Nash's illness affects his family, his mom Chantal indicated there is a lot of planning that is necessary. "He has to do a daily breathing physiotherapy, which takes time away from other activities. There's also a lot of medical appointments to keep up with."

Nash's diagnosis has been quite impactful to his mental health. "There's the overarching wonder about what his life will be like, and how his illness will effect him in the future. Right now, the effects of his illness are almost worse on his mental health than they are on his physical health."

Nash's parents referred him to have a wish in hopes that it would brighten his spirits and aid with some of the mental health concerns he was having. When he was told he would be getting a wish, he was very happy, and smiled for the first time in a while. "It was a really good day" says Chantal.

 Make-A-Wish Southern Alberta is proud to grant over 100 wishes per year to kids just like Nash. 100% of our funding comes from donations, and so we would like to thank all our donors for helping us to grant these life changing wishes to the kids like Nash who need them most.

Meet Jordyn

Jordyn is a smart, sweet 16 year old girl from Cochrane. She loves swimming - she's been doing so since she was 5 years old, and currently swims for the Cochrane Comets swim team. Recently, Jordyn has been trying to learn how to play the guitar. She is also an excellent photographer.

When Jordyn was 15, she discovered that she had low hemoglobin levels in her blood. Her medical team thought that she had iron deficiency anemia, and so Jordyn had a few blood transfusions to treat this.

Eventually, she ended up being hospitalized due to pancreatitis, and it was then the doctors discovered the lymphoma Jordyn had in her stomach.

Jordyn was diagnosed with Diffuse large B-Cell lymphoma. "Basically, it's like my b-cells decided to go rogue and try to kill me" says Jordyn. Treatment for this type of cancer includes chemotherapy, which Jordyn started immediately.

Initially, Jordyn was in the hospital for 4 continuous weeks, and was in and out of the hospital for months after that due to various side effects from the chemo, such as fevers and infections, and the treatment itself. "It was a really difficult time" says Mya, Jordyn's mom. "There was a lot of juggling, and a lot of tears."

Nowadays, Jordyn is doing very well medically. She's been in remission since January 29, 2020. Other than the occasional routine checkup, Jordyn's medical life has virtually gone back to normal.

While she was in the hospital, Jordyn's parents gifted her a DSLR camera, and she got quite good at photography because of it. For her wish, she'd like some new high quality camera equipment so that she can pursue her photographic passion even further.