BRIDGTON — For Kyan MacDonald, a cabin delivered to his home in Bridgton Wednesday is a dream come true.

It is, his mother Binaca MacDonald said, just like her independent son not to ask for a trip to Disney World or to meet New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady from the Make-A-Wish Maine, but for something he can enjoy the rest of his life.

“He just turned 13 and he has his first real estate,” Binaca MacDonald said, and laughed.

Kyan, diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia and now in remission, was adamant about the cabin since the MacDonalds first learned he would be eligible to make a wish.

Kyan’s Kabin, complete with two lofts, built-in storage and windows letting in plenty of light, was unveiled as a surprise just a long stone’s throw away from the MacDonalds’ home to Kyan’s great delight. Bill MacDonald said his son is the kind of kid who likes to be in the background and play a supporting role. He doesn’t like to call a lot of attention to himself.

That was unavoidable Wednesday as family, friends and volunteers and staff from Make-A-Wish Maine and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative looked on.

Advertisement

“It’s big,” he said. “I thought it would be about a quarter the size. I am definitely going to sleep in it tonight.”

And, he said, he’ll spend the rest of his days in his cabin, where he’ll be able to spend time with his friends and his sister, Quinn, 10.

If the MacDonalds choose, they can insulate the tiny house and install plumbing and electricity and appliances, but for now, it’s going to be just a cabin.

The unveiling comes a year and a day after Kyan traveled to Boston’s Children’s Hospital for a bone marrow transplant. He has also had two rounds of chemotherapy at the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital in Portland.

Acute myeloid leukemia is a cancer that affects immature blood cells, usually the white, infection-fighting cells, as they form in the marrow of bones. While it starts in the marrow, according to the American Cancer Society, it can spread to other parts of the body.

Because of the nature of his cancer, he couldn’t have a lot of visitors, Bill MacDonald said, but the support in Bridgton was immense from neighbors and classmates who proclaimed their support for Team Kyan.

Advertisement

The inspiration for the cabin came from watching shows about tiny homes while he was in the hospital, and the idea stuck.

Binaca MacDonald said Kyan had originally wanted a treehouse, but his idea had to be grounded a bit.

“He said cancer is going to be a part of my life for the rest of my life,” she said, “so I want something I will have always.”

She and her son returned from a birthday trip to Vermont for the unveiling. While Kyan knew he would be getting something, he didn’t know exactly what or when.

She said to watch him in the arcade, asking for $10 more to play more games and not worry about when his next chemotherapy is or worry about when his hair would come back and to see his wish granted, was like a return to his childhood, which has been interrupted by cancer.

And now because of Kyan’s wish, and another wish of a playset, complete with a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle lair fulfilled earlier this summer, a partnership is in the works between the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative to fulfill the wishes of other kids with life-threatening illnesses.

Advertisement

“We do a lot of building projects,” Lynn Bak, chairwoman of Make-A-Wish Maine, and that’s the link with SFI, which was recruited for the projects.

“We’re calling them our partners now, so our intent is to continue the partnership. We’re very grateful,” she said.

Pat Sirois, who is the state coordinator of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Implementation Committee in Maine, said projects like these can also fulfill the outreach mission of the organization, which works to get the word out about the quality of the types of wood products that can be sustainably produced.

SFI is focused on responsible forestry, conservation and community engagement. The program fosters continuous improvement in forest management by requiring landowners, loggers, and mill owners to commit to ongoing research, continuing professional education, and public outreach.

Sirois lives in Litchfield and that’s where the Kyan’s cabin was built before it was transported to Bridgton. SFI also has implementation teams in 29 other states and four Canadian provinces.

Nearly all the wood used in the building is from Maine and volunteers came from around Maine to lend their skills to the project.

Advertisement

In all, Sirois said, the donation included about $11,000 worth of materials and 31 volunteer work days.

“Who knew when I started this job I would be able to build things like this at home?” he said.

Make-A-Wish started in 1980 when a 7-year-old boy with leukemia in Phoenix asked to be a police officer, a wish that was granted when he was made an honorary officer, according to the foundation’s website. Three years later, the Make-A-Wish Foundation was incorporated, with chapters opening across the country. In Maine, the wish of a child with a life-threatening illness is granted every five days.

Jessica Lowell — 621-5632

jlowell@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @JLowellKJ


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.