After completing cancer treatment, 6-year-old gets Disney World wish
After a long battle with cancer, 6-year-old Aiden Roundstone has his sights set on Disney World.
With help from a Montana organization, that wish will come true.
Roundstone and his family will take off for Florida this week after the Montana Hope Project chose him as a gift recipient. He officially received his tickets and best wishes at a ceremony Wednesday evening.
His guardian, Karin Helmig, said that Roundstone has been doing great after years of hospital treatments.
“He just completed his three years of treatment for ALL (acute lymphocytic leukemia),” Helmig said.
In October, Roundstone “rang the bell,” signifying he had finished the course.
During that time, Helmig said that she heard about the Montana Hope Project from a friend. She applied with the organization but didn’t think they’d be chosen.
Roundstone loves superheroes and Disney characters, Helmig said, so it was natural that he wanted to visit Disney World.
“He was super excited” about getting the news, Helmig said.
On Wednesday, Roundstone was a bit shy with all the attention focused on him, but with his family nearby, he accepted the gift. Along with his sister, Roundstone was adopted by Helmig and her husband, Scott.
Trooper Dave Munson and Sgt. Buck O’Neill of the Montana Highway Patrol gave Roundstone a camera to document his travels. The project’s backbone is the Association of Montana Troopers.
The Montana Hope Project was started in 1984 after Montana Highway Patrol Troopers took two kids with life-threatening illnesses on a van tour of Glacier National Park. It has since grown to a wish-granting organization for hundreds of kids.
Roundstone’s is the 418th wish for the Montana Hope Project, said Dave Evans, the area coordinator for the organization. He said that most of the children they learn about come through referrals from friends and medical professionals.
The ceremony included gifts to the Montana Hope Project from two other organizations. Jimmy Brown, president of the Independent Automobile Dealers Association of Montana, presented a check for $2,000 from a beef raffle. The association split the proceeds — half for the Hope Project and half for a scholarship program.
“We have a pretty strong commitment for ethics, including giving back to the community,” Brown said.
Devon Plant and Dan Michaelis, who run the Montana Vapor Outlet, also made a donation. They gave $1,800, which came from an auction of products they had held. Plant said that the money was raised quickly and the business matched the amount.
The Montana Hope Project holds an annual motorcycle ride, the Ride for Hope, which raises money for the organization.