A Sushi Dream Come True - Thanks to the Manitoba Restaurant and Foodservices Association
For Karmyn and her family, sushi has been an important part of her battle with a rare form of leukaemia. In fact, during her intensive chemo treatments, one of the only foods she would ask for was salmon sashimi.
It’s no surprise that one of Karmyn’s biggest dreams is to visit Tokyo to sample all of the incredible sushi Japan has to offer. It’s a big dream - and one that we can now bring to life thanks to the support of the Manitoba Restaurant and Foodservices Association (MRFA).
All year long our friends at the MRFA have been committed to making Karmyn’s dream come true, and we wanted to share all of the incredible things they have done over the last few months to make it possible.
Meet Karmyn:
What started out as a few random fevers throughout the summer of 2018 turned into an emergency room visit that turned Karmyn’s families whole world upside down. During the early hours of August 25th, 2018 they found out that their 6-year-old had a rare form of leukaemia that appears in less than 5% of children.
There have been many tears, and Karmyn has seen the inside of many hospital rooms - bombarded with tubes, needles, and beeping machines. Through it all, she has shown how strong and brave a kid can be in the face of something as immense as cancer.
There are a few things that Karmyn truly loves - her family, arts and crafts, Harry Potter, and being a foodie! She knows what she likes, especially when it comes to food: mac and cheese, steamed pork dumplings, ramen, and most of all - salmon sashimi. No matter the day, no matter how nauseous she feels from chemo - she’ll ask for salmon sashimi!
For Karmyn, it was an absolute no-brainer choosing a trip to Tokyo, Japan as her dream come true. Karmyn wants to visit Japan so that she can try some of the best sushi in the world!
How MRFA Made A Dream Come True:
Who better to bring a little foodie’s dream to life than the Manitoba Restaurant and Foodservices Association? When our friends at the MRFA heard about Karmyn’s they didn’t hesitate to saying “yes” to making this very special dream come true.
To send Karmyn and her family of five is no small task. In fact, it’s one of The Dream Factory’s biggest dreams ever and would never have been possible without the support of MRFA.
In addition to raising funds, MRFA and their members created a number of very special experiences for Karmyn and her family throughout the year. Here are just a few of the ways they helped to make her dream come true:
MRFA introduced Karmyn and family to the wonderful team at Ichiban. Karmyn and the head chef spent the afternoon learning to make some of the best salmon sashimi in town.
MRFA hosted a hospitality night at the Winnipeg Blue Bombers home opener on June 27th, with a portion of every ticket sold supporting Karmyn’s dream come true.
Karmyn’s favourite sushi spot in Winnipeg, Sushi Cushi also got involved. For one whole month the renamed their California Roll the “Karmyn Roll” a donated a portion of every single roll sold to help support Karmyn’s dream.
Lastly, the MRFA hosted a fabulous golf tournament on August 20th, 2019 that helped exceed their fundraising goal and share with their members the impact that they have had on a family right here on our community.
We don’t have the right words to properly thank MRFA for all of the time, energy, and sincerity they put not only into fundraising for The Dream Factory, but for creating so many special moments for Karmyn and her family.
The MRFA is a very small team with some very big hearts and some truly wonderful members. It was an absolute joy to spend this year working together with them to make this dream come true.
To our friends at the MRFA - thank you - for everything you have done to make a dream come true. This would never have been possible without you, and we can’t wait for Karmyn and her family to head out on the adventure of a lifetime!
Karmyn’s Sushi Dream in the news:
Pictured: Karmyn learning to make salmon sashimi with the chef from Ichiban, a member of the Manitoba Restaurants and Foodservices Association.
Pictured: Karmyn at her favourite local sushi spot, Sushi Cushi enjoying a “Karmyn Roll” in support of The Dream Factory
Pictured: Hole-in-one! Karmyn and her family took the the green at the 31st Annual MRFA Golf Tournament on August 20th, 2019.
Pictured: Members of Karmyn’s Sushi Krew along with Karmyn and her dad during a bake sale to help raise funds for their Dragon Boat team, and Karmyn’s dream come true!
A Community Comes Together
In addition to their incredible fundraising, the MRFA inspired so many others to get involved in helping bring Karmyn’s dream to life. Members of our community hosted bud, spud and steak nights, donated proceeds from fitness classes, sold custom t-shirts during the Winnipeg whiteout, and so much more.
Most notable was Karmyn’s Sushi Krew - a group of paddlers from Johnston Group who participated in our River City Dragon Boat Festival. Karmyn’s Sushi Krew rose to the challenge: hosting bake sales, exceeding fundraising goals, and ultimately raising over $13,000 towards our goal of a dream come true.
Thank you to all of the community members who came together to help support Karmyn and her dream come true. It was truly incredible to watch the amount of support for a very special family right here in our community.
We can’t wait for Karmyn and her family to experience one of our most exciting dreams ever! We look forward to sharing some photos and stories from the Dream. Stay tuned to our website and social media so you don’t miss it!