Kaden may only be 9, but he knew what he wanted for his wish. In fact he showed his wish grantors his drawing of it, along with specific details.
Kaden wanted a treehouse, and not just any old treehouse. He envisioned electricity, a sleeping room, a firepole, a slide, and more…but he made it clear it would be “a house for kids, grandmas and dogs.” In other words, no parents allowed! And that’s not all he imagined: “We can sleep, play games and watch movies in it” and “we can hide and tell secrets in it.”
While undergoing treatment for leukemia, Kaden had to travel a lot for chemotherapy. This wish “seems to have marked the transition to the maintenance phase of his treatment in a celebratory way” says his mom. “He did not stop smiling for days” after hearing his treehouse would be built. In early June, nearly all of the builders who helped create his treehouse, along with his grandmother from Oregon, came for the official “house warming” party, complete with a ceremonial ribbon cutting. As Kaden looked out over the backyard from the treehouse’s second story window, his face lit up with a huge smile. A nearby tree was marked with signposts with the treehouse’s address—#1 Make-A-Wish Way—and pointing out the way to Grammie’s house, Disneyland, and Palo Alto (where he receives his treatments). And that night, his grandmother, brother and sister were planning their first sleepover in it.