Little taste of joy
Child's wish granted with special treat
Karmen Greene just added something previously forbidden to her strict diet -- cupcakes.
The seven-year-old suffers from eosinophilic esophagitis, a serious allergic inflammatory condition of the esophagus that results in a severe allergic reaction to most foods.
"It was Karmen's one wish to have a cupcake," said her mom, Vanessa Greene.
"When she went to a birthday party she had to watch everybody eat everything and it became very hard on her. The cupcake had to have the paper on it."
That dream was granted by Kathryn Kersey, Karmen's karate instructor at the Little Ninjas Martial Arts Program at Windsor Regional Hospital.
Kersey said the program helps instil confidence in children with all illnesses.
"Karmen's one wish was that she wanted to have a cupcake and look like the rest of the kids because she hasn't been able to have one. I went and searched and I found the (bakery) Healthy Creations that was able to make her wish come true."
Kersey approached the bakery and presented them with extensive list of allergies which demanded the cupcake omit wheat, egg, soy, dairy, gluten and all oils, among other ingredients.
Kersey, dressed in her karate uniform, met Karmen and her mother outside Healthy Creations to present her with her surprise.
"Karmen didn't know how to react, her mom was in tears and couldn't believe that had happened and I had granted her wish," Kersey said of the customized cupcakes complete with white icing and sprinkles.
"Karmen was excited to eat them and her mom called me again the day after and said she was ecstatic she was able to have a cupcake like the kids."
Greene said while Karmen had never eaten a cupcake before she still shared half of each one with her five-year-old brother Kyle.
Anita Imperioli, president and founder of In Honour of the Ones We Love, a non profit organization committed to supporting families and children who have been affected by a serious illness, the facilitator of the Little Ninja Program.
"When it comes time for a family member to have medical needs you have to do whatever it is you have to do to make it happen," Imperioli said, who lost her son Michael 30-years-ago from neuroblastoma.
"It's really difficult to make other people understand how you feel about certain things and my goal in my life is to enhance this community as much as I can and we have, we have done an amazing amount of work in this community."
For information call our Honourable Little Ninjas Hotline: 519-966-2960 or 519-791-8633.
© Copyright (c) The Windsor Star
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