BRIDGTON — Kyan MacDonald’s dream came true when a cabin was delivered to his family’s Bridgton home Wednesday.

Binaca MacDonald said it was just like her independent son not to ask Make-A-Wish Maine for a trip to Disney World or to meet New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, but for something he can enjoy the rest of his life.

“He just turned 13 and he has his first real estate,” Binaca MacDonald joked.

Kyan, diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia that is now in remission, was adamant about the cabin since the MacDonalds first learned he would be eligible to make a wish.

Kyan’s Kabin, complete with two lofts, built-in storage and windows letting in plenty of light, was unveiled to Kyan’s surprise and great delight just a long stone’s throw from the MacDonalds’ home. Bill MacDonald said his son is the kind of kid who likes to be in the background and play a supporting role. He doesn’t like to call a lot of attention to himself.

That was unavoidable Wednesday as family, friends, and volunteers and staff from Make-A-Wish Maine and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative looked on.

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“It’s big,” Kyan said. “I thought it would be about a quarter the size. I am definitely going to sleep in it tonight.”

He also plans to spend plenty of days in the cabin, playing with his friends and his sister, Quinn, 10.

If the MacDonalds choose, they can insulate the tiny house and install plumbing and electricity and appliances, but for now, it’s just going to be a cabin.

The cabin is a collaboration between Make a Wish Maine, which grants wishes to children with life-threatening illnesses, and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative.

The unveiling came a year and a day after Kyan traveled to Boston’s Children’s Hospital for a bone-marrow transplant. He also has had two rounds of chemotherapy at the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital in Portland.

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Acute myeloid leukemia affects immature blood cells, usually the white, infection-fighting cells, as they form in the bone marrow, and then can spread to other parts of the body, according to the American Cancer Society.

Kyan’s cancer prevents him from having a lot of visitors, but Bill MacDonald said Team Kyan has received immense support in Bridgton from neighbors and classmates.

The inspiration for the cabin came from watching shows about tiny homes while Kyan was in the hospital.

Kyan originally had wanted a treehouse, his mother said, but that idea had to be grounded a bit.

“He said cancer is going to be a part of my life for the rest of my life,” she said, “so I want something I will have always.”

She and her son returned from a birthday trip to Vermont for the unveiling. While Kyan knew he would be getting something, he didn’t know what or when.

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She said to watch him in the arcade, asking for $10 more to play more games and not worry about when his next chemotherapy is or worry about when his hair would come back and to see his wish granted, was like a return to his childhood, the time before he had cancer.

And now, because of Kyan’s wish, and a 4-year-old Brunswick boy’s wish for a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle playset that was fulfilled earlier this summer, a partnership is in the works between the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative to fulfill the wishes of other kids with life-threatening illnesses.

“We do a lot of building projects,” said Lynn Bak, chairwoman of Make-A-Wish Maine, and that’s the link with SFI, which was recruited for the projects.

“We’re calling them our partners now, so our intent is to continue the partnership. We’re very grateful,” she said.

Pat Sirois, the state coordinator of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Implementation Committee in Maine, said projects like these fulfill the outreach mission of the organization, which works to get the word out about the quality of the types of wood products that can be sustainably produced.

SFI is focused on responsible forestry, conservation and community engagement. The program fosters continuous improvement in forest management by requiring landowners, loggers and mill owners to commit to research, professional education and public outreach.

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Sirois lives in Litchfield, and that’s where the Kyan’s cabin was built. SFI has teams in 29 other states and four Canadian provinces.

Nearly all the wood used in the building is from Maine and volunteers came from around the state to lend their skills to the project.

In all, Sirois said, the donation included about $11,000 worth of materials and 31 volunteer work days.

“Who knew when I started this job I would be able to build things like this at home?” he said.

Make-A-Wish started in Phoenix in 1980 when a 7-year-old boy with leukemia asked to be a police officer, a wish that was granted when he was made an honorary officer, according to the foundation’s website. Three years later, the Make-A-Wish Foundation was incorporated, with chapters opening across the country. In Maine, the wish of a child with a life-threatening illness is granted every five days.

Jessica Lowell can be contacte at 621-5632 or at:

jlowell@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @JLowellKJ


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