Boy with life-threatening illness surprised with trip of a lifetime
A Watauga boy with a life-threatening illness was surprised with a magical family trip.
4-year-old Liam Crowell has a rare muscle disorder that most children don't survive. But his family will now get the chance to make very special memories.
The Watauga Fire Department helped to deliver some very special news. Frank Squeo came in from New York to surprise the Crowell kids including, Liam, He looks like a normal 4-year-old but has a body weakened by his muscle disorder.
“Fifty percent of boys don't make it to their first birthday with this disease,” explained Dale Crowell, Liam’s mom. “And 70 percent don’t make it to their second.”
Squeo knows the toll illness can take after suffering from advanced stage 3 cancer 10 years ago. So he founded Baking Memories 4 Kids.
“We sell our amazing chocolate chip cookies all over the country this time of the year, and we use all of those monies to pay for these unbelievable, life-changing trips,” he explained.
Tuesday was all about the Crowell family. Mom and dad were in on it, but the Crowell kids were clueless.
“Your whole family is going to go and see all of the princesses and every single amusement park,” Squeo told Liam. “You are going to Disney World. You are going to SeaWorld. You are going to Legoland. You are going for an entire week with your whole family.”
It was a surprise that was a bit overwhelming for Liam, who’s a bit on the shy side but resilient and ready to roll.
“He's had eight hospitalizations from birth until 2, and we almost lost him several times,” mom explained. “He's really shown me what strength is. I'm just really excited for this opportunity, not just for him but for our whole family.”
The Crowells were the seventy-fifth family surprised by Baking Memories for Kids, which is now in its fifth year.
Dallas-based ICS, a staffing solutions company, purchased 1,500 containers of cookies to help make Liam’s trip possible.