A Grade 11 student in Regina got the surprise of a lifetime Wednesday afternoon.
Thanks to the Cameco Riders Touchdown for Dreams Program, which grants dreams to women with life-threatening cancer, 16-year-old Haylie Bro has new wheels.
Haylie has an aggressive form of cancer in her brain stem and her dream was to repair the family’s only vehicle after it broke down.
Instead, she was gifted with a brand new Ford Escape SUV.
The family needs transportation for Haylie to get to her medical appointments in Saskatoon.
“I saw my parents struggling and I saw how hard it was on them when our truck broke down, so I thought if I could just make something a little easier, I wanted to,” she said.
Haylie’s mother, Danita Gilmour, said the new vehicle will give their family a new lease on life.
“To say it is a dream is an understatement — this is the ability to breathe for us, the ability to get her to her appointments and safely to school and home when she can’t make it (through) the full day of school,” Gilmour said.
This dream was made possible by not only Cameco but also the Saskatchewan Roughriders Cancer Foundation of Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan Cancer Agency and Capital Automotive Group, who provided the two year lease on the vehicle.
For Cameco vice-president Jonathan Huntington, this particular dream struck a chord.
“This is a really emotional dream because so many of us are parents. When we first called and spoke to Haylie and her mom, it was really emotional, there were tears on the phone. And you saw it today with both mom and Haylie being so emotional when it happened. This is a huge relief and we’re so thrilled that we could help,” said Huntington.
Cameco Touchdown for Dreams is now in its tenth year and has granted more than sixty dreams across Saskatchewan.