A teenager from Brooklyn just had his wish come true.

18-year-old Kiefer Huskins received a stockpile of new offroad parts to customize his Jeep through the Make-A-Wish foundation.

Kiefer’s mother Kim says the family learned about the Make-A-Wish program when Kiefer was in hospital undergoing treatment for Osteosarcoma, the same cancer that claimed the leg and life of Terry Fox. Kim says two years post-chemotherapy and still clear of cancer, it took some time for Kiefer to settle on what he wanted.

“He only really made his wish in November, once he finally decided. This happened fast.”

Kiefer says he knew the wish had been granted but his parents kept the date of the event a surprise.

“I didn’t know anything. I kept texting her asking her if they said anything, but she said yesterday that we have to wait until next week,” said Kiefer. “It was pretty exciting coming home and seeing all this.”

Kiefer arrived home from school Tuesday to discover a mountain of parts surrounded by representatives from Dartmouth Dodge, the Nova Scotia Jeep Club, the Make-A-Wish foundation and many of his friends. Kiefer’s father Kerwin says his son is a hands-on kind of guy and this wish is right up his alley.

“The offer was there for Dartmouth Dodge to put all the accessories on and he would hear nothing of it,” said Kerwin. “He wanted to do it himself.”

Father and son will spend the next few weekends tricking out Kiefer’s 2009 Jeep JK with a new lightbar, running boards, bumpers, winch, soft top and other accessories.

Janice Beaton the Atlantic wish coordinator with Make-A-Wish Foundation says most often, kids want to take a trip, but COVID-19 has forced the organization to think outside the box.

“We haven’t been able to do any kind of travel for the last two years which is definitely bringing out the creativity in both our staff and our families and our wish kids,” said Beaton.

The Make-A-Wish foundation grants wishes to kids aged three to 17 usually based on referrals from hospitals.

Beaton says the organization is currently working on granting 70 wishes in Nova Scotia and 250 across the four Atlantic provinces.

While Kiefer may have his next few weekends booked, he is also looking ahead to his future once he graduates this spring.

“I’m going to Kingstec for carpentry and then business after that,” said Kiefer. “I do carpentry now so that’s what I plan on doing.”

In the meantime, he also plans to spend time on the trails putting his Jeep through its paces.

E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson

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