Holiday season wishes granted for Sandy child

Christmas came early this year for local 8-year-old Kaden Sarshchian when he was granted a special wish to visit Hawaii with his family.

In October, the Silver Hills Elementary second-grader spent the week after his birthday with his mother, stepfather, and 5-year old brother and sister on the beach in Waikiki snorkeling, swimming with dolphins and eating his favorite foods.

The trip was a special gift granted by the Make-A-Wish Foundation to Kaden nearly two years after he was diagnosed with the most severe form of Muscular Dystrophy.

Kaden’s mother, Vanessa Buehner, said doctors have told the family that Kaden will eventually need to use a wheelchair due to his illness.

She said knowing Kaden’s prognosis made the trip even more special because her son is still walking and could do all of the thing he wanted to do on the trip.

“Just looking at him, you’d never know [how sick he is],” Buehner said.

Kaden was diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy when he was only 6 years old, after his kindergarten teacher at Silver Hills suggested to Beuhner that her son was experiencing some difficulties and should see a doctor.

The family has lived in Sandy for the last four years.

Buehner said she would never have suspected that Kaden’s early symptoms were due to an illness because he was her first child. She said that the local schoolteacher’s kindness and 20 years of experience has been a blessing to the family.

Kaden’s doctors referred the family to the Make-A-Wish Foundation this summer.

Almost a week after Kaden turned 8 on Oct. 12, the family spent Oct. 17 – 24 in Hawaii. The trip was timed to coincide with school fall break so that Kaden wouldn’t miss too much happening in class.

Buehner said Kaden spent nearly every day walking out to the beach just outside of the hotel where the family stayed. She said he loves animals, so swimming with dolphins was a dream come true.

“His birthday lasted the entire trip,” Buehner said. “He stayed at the beach night and day. He got to decide everything: what to do, where to go and what [the family] would eat.”

Then on Dec. 14, the family was invited to spend a day on the Heber Valley Railroad Polar Express holiday ride with other families helped by the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation, a nonprofit organization, grants wishes to children between the ages of 2 and 18 with life-threatening medical conditions.

Buehner said the nonprofit organization is special because even after granting Kaden’s wish, Make-A-Wish representatives kept in touch with the family and included them in their community.

She hopes people will donate to the organization and plans to stay involved as a volunteer to support other children in the future.

“Make-A-Wish is awesome,” Buehner said, adding, “[Our family] has been blessed with so many things.”