Help Us Make Rylyn’s Dream Come True!

 

Thank you everyone - we have adjusted our initial goal based on the tremendous support we have received from our community for rylyn!

We are the Northeast U13 AA Predators. Our friend and teammate is Dream Kid Rylyn Rewniak and we are asking you to help us support her dream.

We know Rylyn as a great team player that battles hard every shift on the ice. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Rylyn started a different type of battle. She was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia – a cancer of the blood and bone marrow. She had four cycles of intensive chemotherapy treatments lasting over six months. More details about Rylyn’s story are below.

While undergoing treatment in the hospital, Rylyn had the opportunity to regularly participate in music therapy and took an immediate liking to the ukulele. When current travel restrictions are lifted and it is safe to travel, Rylyn’s dream is to visit Hawaii, play an authentic Hawaiian ukulele, and go zip lining through the Hawaiian jungle.

The Predators want to help make Rylyn’s dream happen! We are raising funds toward the Dream Factory’s Great Skate in support Rylyn scheduled for February 27. We have set an initial team goal, and we hope we can meet or surpass that goal with support from our Predators friends and families.

Please use the “Donate Now” button below to make your donation in support of Rylyn. We thank you for your support.

GO PREDS GO!!!

Thank you for helping us make Rylyn’s Dream come true!
- The U13 North East Predators AA


Rylyn’s Story:

April 11, 2020 is a day that will be ingrained in our memories forever. It was a couple of weeks into the first COVID shut down that our daughter Rylyn began to feel unwell. At the time, she was a very active 10 year old who excelled in both hockey and soccer and had rarely been sick in her life.

She had the typical symptoms of a cold and eventually an earache. It was the earache that sent us to Urgent Care at Concordia Hospital. We thought that it would simply be a matter of picking up antibiotics and returning home. However, during the examination, it was discovered that Rylyn’s lymph nodes were swollen. Tests were taken and when the results were in, I was taken into a private room and told that my little girl was “very sick”. The doctor went on to tell me that she had Acute Myeloid Leukemia. I could barely breathe.

Rylyn’s first of four treatment cycles began shortly thereafter. Each cycle took about four weeks and involved intensive chemotherapy, IV medication, spinal taps and bone marrow tests. The total length of treatment totalled almost six months. During treatment, Rylyn lost so much body weight that she had to have a feeding tube run through her nose in order to ensure she was receiving proper nourishment.

It was an incredibly difficult time for her to say the least, and one that was made even more difficult given COVID restrictions that resulted in only one of us being able to stay with her at any given time. Despite these difficulties, Rylyn handled her illness with strength and courage, and a maturity beyond her 11 years.

When we found out Rylyn had been referred to The Dream Factory we didn’t quite know what to expect. While we knew that The Dream Factory was about making dreams true for kids, we quickly realized that they were so much more. They have gone out of their way to make Rylyn and our family feel special and supported, whether it was sending us gift certificates so we could enjoy a nice family meal during stressful times, making Rylyn feel extra special by sending her best wishes on her birthday, or simply spoiling her with care packages and special treats. Our family was also able to access Dream Family Funds at a time where it was much needed, as my wife who is a teacher, had to take a leave from work to help care for Rylyn while she was undergoing treatment.

During the most difficult time of our lives, it was reassuring to know that The Dream Factory was there for us when we needed them and we are so very grateful for all they have done for Rylyn and our family.