A teenager from Brooklyn just had his wish come true.<\/p>\n
18-year-old Kiefer Huskins received a stockpile of new offroad parts to customize his Jeep through the Make-A-Wish foundation.<\/p>\n
Kiefer\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe only really made his wish in November, once he finally decided. This happened fast.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kiefer says he knew the wish had been granted but his parents kept the date of the event a surprise.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know anything. I kept texting her asking her if they said anything, but she said yesterday that we have to wait until next week,\u201d said Kiefer. \u201cIt was pretty exciting coming home and seeing all this.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u2019s father Kerwin says his son is a hands-on kind of guy and this wish is right up his alley.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe offer was there for Dartmouth Dodge to put all the accessories on and he would hear nothing of it,\u201d said Kerwin. \u201cHe wanted to do it himself.\u201d<\/p>\n
Father and son will spend the next few weekends tricking out Kiefer\u2019s 2009 Jeep JK with a new lightbar, running boards, bumpers, winch, soft top and other accessories.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe haven\u2019t 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,\u201d said Beaton.<\/p>\n
The Make-A-Wish foundation grants wishes to kids aged three to 17 usually based on referrals from hospitals.<\/p>\n
Beaton says the organization is currently working on granting 70 wishes in Nova Scotia and 250 across the four Atlantic provinces.<\/p>\n
While Kiefer may have his next few weekends booked, he is also looking ahead to his future once he graduates this spring.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going to Kingstec for carpentry and then business after that,\u201d said Kiefer. \u201cI do carpentry now so that\u2019s what I plan on doing.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the meantime, he also plans to spend time on the trails putting his Jeep through its paces.<\/p>\n