‘Princess of Harmony’ reigns in mid-Maine town

By Christopher Cousins, Bangor Daily News Staff
April 29, 2011

HARMONY, Maine — She wore a silky pink dress, high-heeled white shoes, a sparkling tiara and a smile for the ages. She rode in a white horse-drawn carriage at the front of one of the biggest parades her small hometown has ever seen. She threw candy and waved to throngs of adoring people.

An ocean away, Kate Middleton married her prince, but 9-year-old Caitlin McKenney, the Princess of Harmony, wouldn’t have traded places. No way.

“Her greatest wish was to have a parade through her town,” said Shawna McKenney, the girl’s aunt. “She thought everyone would enjoy it.”

By the hundreds, they did. Lining tiny Harmony’s main thoroughfare, they snapped photos, called her name and waved. Some shed tears for the little girl who has been through cancer and emerged as a beacon of hope and beauty.

But Princess Caitlin’s biggest surprise — an elaborate pink playhouse with purple flower boxes beneath the windows and a spiral staircase inside — still awaited her. As her carriage rolled swiftly into the driveway, she sank back in her leather seat and absorbed the sight of it in stunned silence. Speechless. Amazed. And when she climbed down and sprinted toward Castle Caitlin, high heels or not, the dark cloud of disease that has hovered over Caitlin and her family for the past year — which she calls “a bump in her life,” according to a family member — was nowhere to be seen.

Inside of a few seconds, Caitlin darted in and out and all around the playhouse, soaking in the kid-size furniture, girly decorations and cast-iron spiral staircase that leads to a slide out the back wall. Her 6-year-old brother, Nathan, and several classmates wearing matching “I’m a Firework” shirts in her honor swirled all around as dozens of beaming adults observed. Questions from a reporter? Forget it.

“It’s unbelievable,” was all young Caitlin would say before turning her attention to her friends. “Let’s go inside and have some dessert!” she said, leading the troupe to a withering attack on a bouquet of candy on a table inside.

Friday’s presentation was part of World Wish Day, when the Make-A-Wish Foundation granted over-the-top wishes in every American state and at least 27 countries. Each wish has a generous donor behind it who provides an average budget of about $6,000. In this case that donor was United Health Care, a national company with offices in Portland.

James Christie, Make-A-Wish of Maine’s development director — who at Princess Caitlin’s urging took a turn down the slide — said his organization can take only so much credit for granting the wishes. The amazing thing, he said, is witnessing a community rally around a family in need.

“People from all over the state have come together for this,” he said, referring to the throngs of people and more than hourlong parade. “When the calls went out, it just started rolling.”

Brian and Tracy McKenney, who have had to endure watching their daughter suffer through a cancerous tumor, the loss of a kidney and chemotherapy, said the support their family has received since the June 2010 diagnosis has been overwhelming. Caitlin’s cancer is in remission, they hope for good, said Tracy.

“This is her place,” she said. “It’s a place for her to go and be by herself if she wants to. It’s a place for her to read and use her imagination. She’s got a fantastic imagination.”

The playhouse, which was built by Nichols Construction of Hudson, came with signs Caitlin can hang on her door, depending on her mood: “Shhh … Reading,” “All Welcome,” “Home Sweet Home” and “No Trespassing” were some of them.

But Princess Caitlin chose another one and with the help of two friends carefully hung it on the purple front door:

“Girls Only.”

Thank you, United Healthcare for being the Wish Granter of Caitlin's wish as well as wish granters Stephanie Collins and Brenda Gammon, Gary Nichols, owner of Nichols Construction, Viking Lumber, Showcase Homes, Crescent Lumber, Jon Guay, Central High School Woodworking class, Keith and Larry Collins, Parker Lumber Company Inc., Spring Street Greenhouse, Hampton Inn Freeport, Pepsi, Subway – Guilford, ME, Town of Harmony, and all the groups and individuals who made Caitlin’s wish special by participating in the World Wish Day Parade.

August 5, 2010 –James Orrigo, from Boston, MA is a lad in a battle. What kind of battle? A battle against “teenager stereotypes and unkind, negative people,” said the 19-year-old sophomore at James Madison University. It began when, eight years ago, his mom was diagnosed with terminal cancer. She was told she could expect to live for one more year. For her treatments, the Orrigo family moved to Boston and, in visiting her at the hospital, James saw many other cancer patients receiving medical care. “Seeing kids my age was really life-changing. I saw them fighting for their life… the battle they go through just to stay alive and I began to wonder why they were the ones to get sick and why I wasn’t. I wanted to do something for them,” said Orrigo. Plus, he wanted to do something that would make his mother proud. What he did was start “Lad in a Battle,” a music band and positive philosophy movement. For him, lad stands for “Living Above Alcohol and Drugs,” but says that anyone can be a “lad” or a “lass” in a battle because everyone is fighting their own struggle. Orrigo defines his songs as “silly” and loves it when they bring a smile to listeners’ faces. His classmates and administration at JMU took him a little more seriously and voted him the winner of their JMU Idol contest and even pay him to perform at different venues across campus. He feels the positive energy that he launched had an influence on his mother’s outlook and energy to fight cancer because she is beating the odds right now, eight years after she was told she would not be alive within 12 months. “I wanted to form a group where teenagers could feel safe to step out of common stereotypes. There is power in numbers and when there are other kids that still go out to parties, but don’t drink or smoke, they realize they are not alone. That’s not easy for a teenager to do when we all judge each other so quickly,” said Orrigo. But, it’s not just an anti-drug campaign for Orrigo. It’s spreading positive joy and good music. In 2009, he started selling Lad in a Battle t-shirts to friends, classmates, teachers and passersby. However, they could not just walk away with a hip $15 t-shirt, they were asked to take a photo of themselves wearing the t-shirt and doing a good deed. The proceeds from the t-shirt sales were given to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Maine, just minutes up the road from where his family has a home in York, Maine. “We’ve received a bunch of great pictures from people wearing their Lad shirts – holding the door open, cleaning up garbage, giving a high-five to a random person. It doesn’t have to be big things,” said Orrigo. However, his own story of what he did with his shirt is his favorite thus far. Orrigo decided to bicycle from his house in York to Portsmouth wearing a giant handmade sign that read, “have a great day!” He said he got many smiles and thumbs up’s as he went down the coast and as he stood (holding his sign) at the outlets in Kittery. “I made so many people’s days. Everyone was loving it and it was simple – I just had to make the sign. Everyone just needs to be cognizant of the affect you have on other people. Try to keep an eye on who’s around you and who might benefit from a simple smile and hello.” With the money that Orrigo has donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Maine, he will help to make a child’s wish come true, which is why this Foundation resonated with him. “I’d like to keep helping whoever can use my music and positive attitude. Make-A-Wish kids battle for life so it really stood out to me. On the back of the shirts, it says ‘Everyday is a struggle.’ Many times you’re going to want to quit, no matter what your battle is; no matter what your goal. It’s those times when you really need people’s support and that’s what Lad can do. Wearing the shirt feels like armor… especially for teenagers who feel the need to fit in. This is positive peer pressure to do positive things!” In high school, Orrigo had his own struggle when he received two back-to-back concussions playing lacrosse, leaving him lucky to be alive. Orrigo spent months traveling to high schools in Massachusetts, explaining the seriousness of concussions in contact sports. “Because they were back to back, my brain didn’t have time to heal. I had to relearn how to walk, speak, read… I had to teach myself everything all over again. There was no cast or band aide to show people that something was wrong. It was all in my head, which made it hard as a teenager. So, after getting in front of high schools and talking about my brain injury, picking up a guitar and singing was easy!” One of Orrigo’s most popular songs, Boat Shoes, can be viewed on www.youtube.com and he is currently finishing his web site, www.ladinabattle.com.

Jack Bjorn, 16, of Hampden lives with a life-threatening blood disorder and will be granted a Make-A-Wish trip to Hawaii in celebration of World Wish Day on April 29. Jack will help give back to Make-A-Wish with an annual fundraiser in Bangor, Rock for Wishes, on April 9.

Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Maine Celebrates
“World Wish DaySM” by Granting Wish April 29

PORTLAND, Maine – March 29, 2010 - On April 29, 30 years to the day after a young leukemia patient named Chris was granted his wish to be a police officer for a day, Make-A-Wish Foundation representatives around the globe will celebrate the first-ever World Wish Day, in honor of the day that sparked a global wish-granting movement.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation will grant wishes in United States and 36 other countries on April 29 to celebrate World Wish Day. On average, every 25 minutes, the Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the wish of a child with a life-threatening medical condition somewhere in the world. Every five days, there is a Maine child having his or her greatest wish granted. Jack, 16, from Hampden, Maine will be the local wish granted in honor of World Wish Day and he chose to go to Hawaii with his family.
 
“We are granting Jack’s wish to celebrate World Wish Day and highlight the hope, strength and joy that the Make-A-Wish Foundation brings children with life-threatening medical conditions every day,” said Melinda, Make-A-Wish Foundation of Maine Wish Manager. “We encourage people to join in the celebration and help us reach every eligible wish child in Maine. One way to really make an impact with travel wishes like these is to go online and donate your airline miles.”

As part of the Make-A-Wish process, each wish child is paired with two volunteer wish granters who work with the seriously-ill child to determine his or her wish. Jack, who lives with Aplastic Anemia, told his wish granters that he wished to go to Hawaii because it would be “really cool to go snorkeling near a reef.” In this particular wish, there is a unique relationship between the wish family and the wish granters.

Jack’s father, Preston, was the trauma nurse when Jack’s wish granters (Mark and Tracy) were in the emergency room with their one-year-old daughter, Danielle, who was fighting a life-threatening medical condition of her own. Danielle was granted a wish to go to Walt Disney World in May 2002. The two families kept in touch over the years and now Mark and Tracy are wish granters for Preston’s son. Danielle’s sister, Lindsay, holds an annual fundraiser called Rock for Wishes and this year, Jack asked to help with it.

The event will take place on Friday, April 9 at 7:00pm at the Union Street Brick Church. Admission is $5 and food and drink will be available for a small fee. Attendees can vote for their favorite band with cash or check donations. Bands at this year’s Rock for Wishes will be Stop Is The New Go, These October Skies, Beyond Goodbye, The Boddingtons, and Evidence Unseen. All proceeds will benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Maine.

Jack loves to participate in and watch sports. His favorite teams are the beloved New England Patriots, Celtics and Red Sox. Also true to his New England spirit, his favorite food is lobster.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. Wishes granted by the Foundation typically fall into one of four categories: To Be (e.g., a ballerina, a firefighter), To Meet (e.g., a favorite celebrity or athlete), To Have (e.g., a computer, a playhouse), or To Go (e.g., to a theme park, to Hawaii). In 2009, the Foundation granted nearly 20,000 wishes – more than 13,000 for children in the United States and almost 7,000 for children outside of the United States and its territories. A wish is granted to a Maine child by the Maine chapter every five days, on average.

You can share the power of a wish® on World Wish Day – refer your child, make a donation, spread the word, give your unused frequent flier miles, help the Make-A-Wish Foundation bridge the gap. Learn how at www.mainewish.org.

About the Make-A-Wish Foundation

The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. The Maine Chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation opened in 1992. As of March, 2010, we have granted over 900 wishes. This year, the Foundation expects to grant the greatest wish of over 75 seriously ill Maine children, which is an average of one wish every five days. The average cost of a wish is $6,000. All wish expenses are fully covered by the Foundation. The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Maine is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, and all contributions are tax deductible.

For more information about Rock for Wishes, call John Wilson at 249-8729.

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Eight Years Later, Past Wish Recipient Gives Back, Comes Full Circle 3/19/10

Past Make-A-Wish recipient and Saco resident Adam Baillargeon (left) stands with his mentor, late Shane McConkey at Squaw Valley USA. As a way to give back, Adam (with High Fives Non-Profit Foundation and Shane’s family) recently donated $1,500 to Make-A-Wish in honor of Shane.

In February, 2002 an 18-year-old boy named Adam from Saco was fortunate to have overcome a rare form of cancer and was granted a Make-A-Wish trip to ski with Shane McConkey at Squaw Valley USA in Tahoe. Eight years later, Adam reflects on the fact that his wish was the impetus for a spectacular friendship with Shane and a personal building block to a practice of giving back to the community.

If he were to title the story of what has happened to him over the past 8 years, he’d call it “Full Circle.”

“I will never forget the incredible adrenaline surge I felt when I first met my skiing hero in front of the Cable Car at Squaw Valley USA,” said Adam Baillargeon, now 26, of Truckee, CA.  “He showed me the ropes as well as introduced me to a venerable ‘who’s who’ of pro skiers. Words like surreal and unbelievable don’t do enough justice to quantify how great it was to ski with Shane.”

Knowing that group of ‘who’s who’ pro skiers helped Adam decide that, when it came time, he’d like to have a career connected to the winter action sports world.

Shane and Adam stayed in touch through the years and Adam visited him and his family in 2004, before he graduated college. Upon graduation in 2007, Shane and Adam exchanged emails and phone calls, which is how Adam learned of an opening at Squaw Valley USA.

 “Shane was not only instrumental in how he motivated me to continue to get healthy once I was in remission from cancer; he also helped me land a job at Squaw and continued to amaze me with random days shared on the mountain,” said Adam.

In March of 2009, Adam’s 39-year-old mentor, Shane, was in a fatal ski accident at the Dolomite Mountains in Italy.  On this one tragic day, Adam lost his hero and a great friend.

“My life, like so many others would never be the same. I will be forever honored to have known the man.”

Following this time of devastation felt by Shane’s family and the entire ski community, Adam found an outlet to give back to the world in a way that connected to his passion for skiing. In February of 2009, the High Fives Nonprofit Foundation was created to raise money and awareness for athletes who have suffered a life-altering injury while pursuing their dream in the winter action sports community and Adam was on board just six months later. 

“For all the good fortune I have had in overcoming cancer, it feels great to be able to give back,” said Adam. “To say that I am stoked is an understatement!”

On February 27, 2010, Baillargeon and the High Fives Non-Profit Foundation together with Biking for a Better World (an Olympic Valley CA based non-profit) held the 2010 Squaw Valley Prom. With just over 500 attendees, it was the best prom to date. Funds raised were split between the two charities with the goal of also donating to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Maine in the name of Shane McConkey. A check of $1,500 was presented to Sherry McConkey, wife of the late, great ski superstar Shane McConkey. Sherry agreed that it would be an honor to Shane to donate the funds to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

The much-appreciated funds are, right now, being used to help grant a wish for another deserving Maine child diagnosed with a life-threatening medical condition.

“All of us here at the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Maine commend Adam for the work he is doing through the High Fives Foundation,” said Kate Vickery, Program Director at the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Maine. “We are thrilled and grateful that he and Shane’s family have chosen to donate a portion of the proceeds to the Foundation on behalf of Shane. He would undoubtedly be very proud of this donation and there is no better way to acknowledge and honor Shane’s memory than to help change someone else’s life. Adam’s story completely exemplifies what we call the power of a wish!”

On average, the Maine chapter grants a wish to a Maine child every five days and each of those wishes costs approximately $6,000. The mission of the Foundation is dependant upon donations from generous people like Adam, Shane’s family and others involved in this decision.

“With this possibility becoming a reality, I feel relieved and honored to give back to an organization that has changed my life in every conceivable and positive way! From the trip itself and the strength and energy it gave me, to the life-long connections and friendships from it, I am forever grateful,” said Adam.

He continued, “Shane’s wife Sherry and his daughter, Ayla McConkey are amazingly strong, wonderful people and it is with this donation that they and I hope more people will not only continue to pursue their dreams as Shane inspired me to do, but that they also feel the hope that wishes bring to hearts across America.”

Adam’s parents live in Saco and continue to donate their time to Make-A-Wish as volunteers at events across the state. His mother, Cathy Baillargeon is critical to the success of Saco’s Walk for Wishes, which is an upcoming fundraiser held across the state, including Hill Stadium at Thornton Academy on May 27, 2010. The event is open to the public and registration is open at www.mainewish.org.

For more information on these outstanding organizations, please visit the following web sites:

The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Maine (http://www.mainewish.org/)
High Fives Non-Profit Foundation (www.highfivesfoundation.org)
Biking for a Better World (www.bikingforabetterworld.org)
2010 Squaw Valley Prom (www.squawvalleyprom)
Shane McConkey Foundation (http://shanemcconkey.org/)

Smiles for Hayley: Donations from Christmas lights display fund Disney World trip
By Gillian Graham, Staff Writer, Biddeford-Saco-OOB Courier
Hayley Desjardins walked slowly through the door of her classroom, her classmates swirling with excitement around her.

With a hand covering her mouth and her sister by her side, Hayley walked up to two waiting princesses and smiled as Cinderella welcomed the girls to Hayley’s Make- A-Wish party.
“We’re very happy you get to have a wish,” Cinderella said to a giggling Hayley as a second princess placed a crown on the7-year-old Saco girl’s head.

The princesses visited Fairfi eld School last week along with other Make-A-Wish Foundation volunteers for a pizza party in honor of Hayley, who has aplastic anemia. She leaves this week for a weeklong trip to Disney World with her family.

Hayley was diagnosed with the rare bone marrow failure disease in 2008 before undergoing months of hospitalizations and blood and platelet transfusions. Her family founded the Hugs From Hayley race and fun walk to raise money for the Maine Children’s Cancer Program. The annual event also features a bone marrow registry drive.

Hayley, who is now in remission, said she chose to go to Disney World “because I’ve been wanting to go for a really long time.” She and her 5-year-old sister, Maddie, collected spare change to save for the trip before learning the trip would be paid for by the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Maine.

“We’re going to save more and give all the rest to Ellie,” Maddie said while eating pizza with her sister. Ellie is a 5- year-old friend who has cancer.

Watching as his daughters ate lunch and chatted with the princesses, Michael Desjardins said his family was looking forward to the trip. “We are just ecstatic. Hayley and Maddison have been through so much. It’s such a great reward for them,” he said.

Hayley’s mom, Allison Desjardins, said she was overwhelmed at the generosity of strangers who donated the $6,000 it costs to grant a wish. The money was donated to Stan and Melissa Norton of Wells by visitors to their “Norton Lights” holiday display, which featured lights synchronized to music visitors listened to on their car radios.

“It just goes to show you there are a lot of good people in this world,” Allison Desjardins said. “It amazes me every day there are people willing to help those who are sick.”

Michael Desjardins said he is also grateful for the support of the community. The family will continue to organize Hugs From Hayley to give back to the people who have supported
them, he said. “We can’t personally pay back all the people who have helped, but we can do it by staying active and paying it forward,” he said. “We’re very, very grateful she is doing so
well.”

After flipping through a princess-themed folder with the trip itinerary, Hayley and Maddie talked with the princesses about what they’re most excited to see at Disney World, Universal Studios and Sea World. They will stay at Give Kids the World, a resort for families being granted wishes.

“I’m most excited about meeting Ariel (the Little Mermaid),” Maddie said. “And we get ice cream for breakfast.”

Hayley said she is most looking forward to visiting Disney’s Animal Kingdom – and ordering sweets from Give Kids the World’s 24-hour room service.

“My mom said don’t even think about waking up in the middle of the night and asking for a brownie from room service,” Hayley said. “I’m excited to go on the trip.