Declan
14
leukemia
Declan's Wish for a Garden
Last summer was a very difficult one for Declan
He had been in the hospital in Maine most of the time since March, battling Acute Myeloid Leukemia, and then was at Boston Children’s hospital for a bone marrow transplant. It was particularly isolating because of the pandemic. Declan was stuck in his hospital room, unable to spend time and bond with other kids battling their illnesses in order to stay safe because his immune system was so compromised.
While in the hospital, his condition made it so he couldn’t go outside for over a month at a time due to risk of infection. Those long days really made him appreciate being outside, feeling the air, smelling the smells. All Declan dreamed about was to be outdoors. His wish was an easy one to make: Declan wished for a garden back home with a potting shed, a sitting area to drink tea and listen to the birds with his sisters, and an oasis all his own to grow flowers and vegetables.
It meant so much to me during the scariest and most painful experiences to have my garden to imagine.
Declan
wish kid
With all the dreaming he did, Declan told us he still never could have imagined how special the wish experience would be.
On his wish day, his family was surprised by a limo which brought them to a local nursery where he had a tour and shopping trip. Declan then arrived home to family, friends and his favorite nurse ready to celebrate the opening of his garden.
“The wish experience impacted my entire family in so many ways we didn’t anticipate. When something terrible like a difficult diagnosis happens, it is nearly impossible to build hope for a joyful future at first. Making it to my wish day and being able to celebrate something that was so unique to me was healing not only for myself, but for my whole family,” Declan wrote of the experience.
