»Read recent A Special Wish stories: Trayvon Calloway
Two years ago on March 24, 2014, Gavin’s parents received news any parent would dread, their adorable, blonde-hair 2-year-old was diagnosed with Acute Lymphatic Leukemia (ALL). ALL is a cancer of the blood and bone marrow. This type of cancer can worsen quickly if it is not treated. In a child with ALL, too many stem cells become lymphoblasts, B lymphocytes, or T lymphocytes. The cells are not able to fight infection very well, and become cancer (leukemia) cells. As the number of leukemia cells increases, there is less room for healthy white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. This may lead to infection, anemia, and easy bleeding.
After Gavin’s treatment began and the family settled into the news of his diagnosis, his parents submitted the paperwork to ASW for Gavin to have his very own wish come true. The family was immediately approved, but decided to hold off on any wish decisions until Gavin was old enough to decide what he wanted his wish to be.
Two years later he made his choice: He wanted to visit Walt Disney World.
“This was a once in a lifetime opportunity,” said Gavin’s mother, Stacia Musgrove. “Going to Give Kids the World at Walt Disney World provided our family the opportunity to take our time and pick and choose what we wanted to do.”
When families are sent to Give Kids the World, their entire family gets to go. Gavin’s twin brother, Gage, older sister Paeten and mother and father, Stacia and Garth, were able to join Gavin on his wish.
Stacia Musgrove explained their excitement. “Gavin was starstruck when he met Captain America. He was thrilled when Captain America let Gavin know his Disney Pass was now an official Captain America Badge. He would show his pass to everyone. Even when he didn’t need to. Although meeting Captain America was a dream come true for Gavin, all three of our kids agreed, the best part of the trip was getting to meet Kylo Ren and going through Jedi knight training. From that moment on, the kids carried their light sabers everywhere and attempted to use Jedi mind control on everyone they met.”
Throughout Gavin’s illness and his experience with A Special Wish Foundation as well as Dayton Children’s, there has been a great deal to take away from the situation this lovely family have all been placed in.
Stacia said, “No matter how bad things are, somebody always has it worse. We haven’t been hospitalized that often. Everyone has felt rather sorry for Gavin because he’s so little, but to be perfectly honest, I wouldn’t have wanted this to happen at a later time in his life. Gavin has been able to bounce back quickly and I don’t think that would have happened had he been older. Gavin getting sick has put life into perspective for not only our family but others, as well.
“People from our church, people from work, people from the base, have all been incredibly supportive. We’ve been able to see what a difference even a 2-year-old can make. As a mother, I value my time with my kids so much more. He’s going to have many memories from all of this one day and I know that he, along with our other children, are going to be stronger for it. …
“When Gavin knew he was getting a wish it gave him hope. He knew that going on the trip meant he was getting better. Going on this trip was a goal and his next step to reach in the treatment process. He would ask ‘Am I almost done being sick?’ And we could say ‘Yes! You get to go on your wish!’ It allowed him to forget that he’s sick.”
Gavin is still receiving treatment for his illness, but he has a new goal to reach. In July, Gavin will no longer need chemo. By October his medication port will be removed. Every month for two years he’ll receive blood tests, so technically he won’t be considered cured until June of 2019, but Gavin and his family hope to be coming to the end of this particular chapter in their lives.
His greatest wish now is getting to start kindergarten.
His mom said, “The twins are so excited to go to school! Anything their big sister has done is something they want to do! We’re pretty happy this wish is going to come true as well.”
To make a contribution to A Special Wish, log on to www.aspecialwishdayton.org or call 937-223-WISH (9474).
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