Volunteers reopen Colorado's Tiny Town park to fulfill little boy's Make-A-Wish request
A little boy's Make-A-Wish dream came true on Friday thanks to volunteers at the Tiny Town park in Colorado.
Four-year-old Oliver, a train enthusiast from Texas, was diagnosed with Stage 3 cancer when he was 1 year old. Now in remission, he's celebrating a Make-A-Wish trip he'll never forget at Tiny Town.
Although the park has already closed for the season, its gates reopened for one special day.
"You've got a good bunch here," one volunteer said.
Nearly a dozen volunteers returned to the park to make the day possible.
"I cannot believe they did that for us," Oliver's mom, Victoria Nguyen, said.
The special guest of honor was Oliver, who spent the day riding the miniature trains he loves. Oliver is still too young to fully understand the journey that brought him here, but his parents remember every step.
"He was diagnosed with Stage 3 metastatic Wilms tumor," mom said. "He had four chemo treatments, some experimental, so they didn't know how it would affect his little body," Oliver's dad, Andrew Paige, added.
After years of treatment, Oliver is now a survivor.
His visit to Colorado was made possible through Make-A-Wish.
"Make-A-Wish is so cool," Nguyen said. "It's for children who have gone through some life-threatening disease and got through it, and it's a way to celebrate their survivorship."
As Oliver soaked in every moment, his parents enjoyed something they had been waiting a long time to see: Oliver and his brother simply getting the chance to be kids.
"We needed a moment to be like, 'Wow, that happened,' and then get back to the pace of things and feel normal again," Nguyen said.
The volunteers who made the day possible got something in return: the chance to witness a moment no one is likely to forget.
"Today his eyes lit up, and he has his little outfit on," a parent said. "I don't think he's going to forget this. It's hard to find these moments that are unforgettable, and we're so grateful," mom said.
For Oliver, the memories of the day will last long after the train makes its final stop.
