(Submitted photo/Colleen Hansen)

By Angie Rolheiser

Year in Review

Year in Review: Kinistino area couple secures funds for wheelchair for six-year old daughter

Dec 31, 2019 | 2:00 PM

northeastNOW is taking a look back at the biggest and most interesting stories of 2019, as selected by our newsroom:

Over $60,000 was brought in through a fundraiser for a wheelchair upgrade for a six-year-old girl in the Kinistino area.

Paisley Hansen suffered brain damage at birth and has since been wheelchair bound. The girl was outgrowing her wheelchair as she entered kindergarten.

Paisley’s mother Colleen said she and her husband Myles had made applications for funds all of which were denied.

“We tried through Sask Abilities, the Ministry of Health and they did not approve our request for this wheelchair,” Hansen said. “We applied through TeleMiracle and that request was also denied.”

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Family members then decided they would hold a fundraiser in an attempt to bring in the $10,000 that the Hansen’s needed to purchase the upgraded chair.

That fundraiser was held at the Weldon Auditorium on October 5, where the fundraising goal was exceeded.

“Everybody just came together and you could just feel warmth and kindness generosity and compassion and all that was for Paisley and her needs,” Hansen said. “It was definitely very overwhelming but in a good way.”

The event started off with a sold-out in advance supper at the Weldon Hall. A social and dance followed with over a hundred silent auction items available for bidding throughout the night.

“We had to finally start telling people that we dont have room to fit anything else in the hall,” Hansen said. “There was people that I don’t even know that were wanting to send donations of items or money.”

She added local businesses and families also stepped up and supported them in one way or another.

The remainder of the funds brought in have been put into a separate account and are being used for Paisley’s monthly treatments and medication.

“We have some fairly significant monthly expenses too so we will draw it out as she goes for treatments,” Hansen said.

The funds have also opened other doors for the family, according to Hansen.

“More opportunity for more research on my part. I have always been following different treatments and methods but always feel like it’s not attainable for us to do that,” Hansen said.

She added it would mean travelling out of the country for those types of treatments but with having some financial weight lifted, they could potentially explore those options.

“We aren’t in this alone and we have had so much support from so many people in our community and from afar,” Hansen said.

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angie.rolheiser@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @Angie_Rolheiser