The community of Winkler, Man., has come together to make a terminally ill five-year-old boy's dream come true, by surprising him with a $10,000 play structure.
Alexander Sawatzky was given a terminal diagnosis last month when doctors found a tumour in his brain. Most children with the same type of cancer only live for about nine months.
According to Janet Sawatzky, Alexander’s mom, there is a zero per cent survival rate with the type of cancer that Alexander has, and the radiation treatment he is undergoing is only to prolong his life.
“It’s super tough to see,” Dan Sawatzky, Alexander’s father, told CTV Winnipeg. “He’s my boy. We’re best friends.”
Prior to Alexander’s diagnosis, he loved playing outside and always wanted a big play structure. Audrey Blatz, a cousin, saw the massive $10,000 play structure while driving one day and decided that Alexander had to have it.
The gift soon turned into a community effort with other people chipping in and police escorting the playhouse to the Sawatzky house.
“Everyone just opened their hearts and opened their wallets and said, ‘We’re in this, let’s do this,’” said Blatz, who also works for the Winnipeg-based Never Alone Foundation. The foundation aims to improve the lives of people affected by cancer.
Alexander got the surprise of his life when his family returned from Winnipeg, where he goes for treatment, when he saw the big wooden play structure sitting in the backyard.
“It was very emotional and overwhelming,” said Janet Sawatzky. “The look on his face, the shock… it was priceless.”
According to Janet Sawatzky, the family is trying to make the most of the rest of their time together.
With a report from CTV Winnipeg’s Beth Macdonell
