Mom pays it forward, raising money for Make-A-Wish Foundation

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Training has started for British Columbia’s first ever Trailblaze Challenge, a fundraiser for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and a mom from Surrey is ready to pay it forward after watching her son’s dream come true.

Ryker Stoltman was three years old last year when his wish to visit Disney World was granted, and his favourite part was: “Meeting Mickey and his friends!” he says.

The kidney transplant recipient’s mother, Magdalena Stoltman, says she wants other families to experience the joy Ryker did, so she’s already signed up for a 40 km hike through Manning Park in September.

The one day hike is sponsored by the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which helps sick children’s dreams come true. Participants are challenged to hike 40 km in just one day to raise money for the foundation.

“I also very much enjoy hiking,” she says. “It’s my little escape from all the medical stuff that’s going on and just any time I need to get out into nature. So as soon as I heard that Make-A-Wish was having a hiking fundraiser – count me in.”

Stoltman hopes to collect at least $2,000 for the charity, which gets no government funding and spends 82 cents of every dollar collected on granting wishes.

“So that other families are fortunate enough to have a trip like this, whether it’s a trip or meeting their favourite hockey player, whatever it is, those kids are just so excited to do something fun and not have to worry about anything else for a little bit,” she says.

And Ryker is helping his mom train by riding piggy-back on her practice hikes.

Stoltman says having Ryker’s wish granted ended three years of their lives revolving around dialysis, and she still looks through the scrapbook of memories from the trip.

“That trip was pretty amazing and I’m forever going to remember that trip and so is he.”