Make-A-Wish mom relished son's experience so much she went to work for the charity
P.E.I. woman says Disney World trip reinforced own wish to give back to other families
Verity Kislingbury recently made a switch in her career because of her family's experience with the Make-A-Wish program.
Kislingbury, from Canoe Cove, P.E.I., is the mother of two boys, William and Jake. Back in 2020, Jake was diagnosed with a rare cancer called Burkitt lymphoma, which permanently blinded him.
Through Make-A-Wish Canada, Jake was able to enjoy a Disney World experience last month, while accommodating for his loss of vision.
"It was wonderful that Make-A-Wish was able to help co-ordinate some of that for us," Kislingbury said. "He was able to meet an alligator, which was kind of cool, so he got to do that. He met penguins and he swam with dolphins and rays and all kinds of things, so that was a really fun experience for him."
As the family of a Make-A-Wish kid, the Kislingburys weren't alone. Families are hosted at the Give Kids the World Village in Florida, which Kislingbury said was "bittersweet."
"You look around the room and you see all these other families and the wonderful thing is you see them enjoying themselves and there's laughter and there's fun but you also know that every family that's there has a story."
Kislingbury said the trip brought her family together, and let them live in the moment.
"You get so wrapped up with the medical appointments and just living day to day that you sometimes take for granted those special moments, so it was really nice that we got this quality time together," she said.
"It was empowering and inspiring to see [Jack] giggling and doing all these wonderful things… You realize you shouldn't ever hold your kids back."
I wanted to try and help repay some of that kindness that was given to us.— Verity Kislingbury
Kislingbury said the family's connection with Make-A-Wish made her want to be able to do more for others.
"I wanted my kids to see that it was good to give back, because we got that experience because of others, so I wanted to try and help repay some of that kindness that was given to us," she said. "When I saw the job posting for Make-A-Wish, I didn't think of anything that could be better."
Making the jump from her former job as an immigration support worker, Kislingbury is now the development officer with Make-A-Wish on P.E.I., helping with fundraisers and reaching out to the community. She said her own story helps her connect with families going through similar situations.
"The fact that I am a wish mom, I felt I could connect with other families and have an understanding of the path that they've taken," she said. "But it's also a great way of kind of putting that to funders — to say you know, this is how meaningful it is, it was so meaningful that I wanted to change careers."
Kislingbury said a Make-A-Wish experience can bring back the joy during a child's medical journey.
"It's often a way for the family to heal and actually accept happiness again," she said. "They get so used to medical appointments and being poked and prodded that the joy is taken out of the childhood, so when we are able to create the wish, it's really nice we can bring that joy back."
Now eight, Jake has been doing much better, his mother said.
"He got diagnosed with cancer back in 2020, and then he got to ring the bell, so that was wonderful. We've had some really great appointments since then and he's progressing really well."
Jake is now in school and learning to live with his disability, she added.
"He's going to school and learning braille. He's doing so well over that as well — he actually entered a competition that was across North America, which he won for his age group, so super proud of him for that."
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