Local Family Makes the Most Out of Make-a-Wish Foundation's 10,000th Grant

For the longest time, Kaeleigh Frantz couldn’t speak.

Diagnosed at birth with Short Bowel Syndrome, a rare disease that does not allow her body to absorb nutrients, Frantz was unable to swallow, which by extension made speech impossible.

But, as her doctors at the Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago noticed, Kaeleigh would became animated every time she saw classic Disney characters.

Now able to speak thanks to a speech therapy program, Christmas came early for Kaeleigh, who is now 5 years old.

A wish granter with the Make-a-Wish Foundation was dispatched to interview Kaeleigh.

The result? An all-expense paid trip to Disney World in Orlando for Kaeleigh and her family, which they took this spring.

"Granting a wish for this special little girl is a great accomplishment for our chapter," said Stephanie Springs, chief executive officer of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Illinois. "We have been able to reach so many children because of the generosity of our community. We know that there are many more children who could benefit from having a wish granted and we plan to continue to bring joy to thousands more children in the years to come."

Kaeleigh was born 26 weeks premature at 2 pounds and 4 ounces when she was diagnosed with the condition commonly called the "preemie disease."

The disease limits Kaeleigh’s mobility.

"Kaeleigh was ity bitty, but that wasn’t abnormal," said Ashley Gleason, Kaeleigh's mother. "They thought she was going to make it but it was awhile before she was able to come home."

Kaeleigh required round-the-clock care and was transferred to Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago, where the staff was more knowledgeable about her condition.

"I don’t know what I would have done without my support system,” Gleason said. “Kaeleigh was born on September 30, 2006 and didn’t come home until March 7. I was very young at the time—only 19—and when she was sent to the city, driving there everyday was a lot. My mom (Kim Frantz) and grandmother (Theresa Frantz) helped out a lot. Not a day went by when someone wasn’t there. Her whole stay, either me, my mom or grandma were with her. Not long after I had her, in November, I met my current husband (Donnie Frantz). He has been right there with us all the way. He’s not Kaeleigh’s biological father but he’s her daddy."

The Gleason family was ecstatic when Kaeleigh was released after a six-month stay.

But her daily care required intense work.

"If it wasn’t for Children’s Memorial Hospital, she would have died at home,” Gleason said. “They taught me everything. We had a nurse to come home with her for a couple months, but it was still hard. There was an actual line that went straight to her heart. It was overwhelming at times.

"Simple things like giving a baby a bottle aren’t the same for Kaeleigh. She has a feeding tube because nutrients don’t absorb. When she eats or drinks, it just passes right out. One of her intestines is gone so her stool is all water."

Kaeleigh was enrolled in an early childhood program when she was 3 years old and has since surmounted many obstacles.

"It has been such a long haul,” Gleason said. “Just learning how to crawl seemed impossible, but Kaeleigh has always been active. In every other way she’s like any other child her age. But imagine the extent of learning? Someone had to hold her bag and help her because her mobility is limited. But she crawled; then she walked. And talking … for the longest time she couldn’t say a word. After speech therapy helped her learn to swallow, the words started coming and now she won’t stop."

But Kaeleigh’s struggles continued.

In school for a half day, she requires the care of a family nurse, who is with her five days a week, four hours a day.

And care is always a looming concern.

Her parents, who both work, must arrange constant supervision that a "normal teenage sitter" isn’t able to supply.

Over the years, doctors and nurses have become well acquainted with the quiet little girl who still becomes animated when shown Mickey and Minnie.

Now, Kaeleigh will get to meet them in person.

Kaeleigh had no idea that granting her wish was a major milestone for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Illinois.

In fact, the wish fulfilled a goal of granting 10,000 wishes since the foundation launched in 1985.

"It’s for kids, but also for their parents. To give us a break for all we’ve had to go through," Gleason said. "They treated us like royalty. They gave us a debit card that we could use to pay for everything. We were careful not to spend too much and they let us take the balance that was left on it home.”

Disney has a special area for Make-a-Wish recipients called Give Kids the World, Gleason said.

"You couldn’t believe what they had,” she said. “Two pools, merry go rounds, miniature golf, a theater, a kid train station and a cafeteria where the food is free. You get waited on hand and foot. They didn’t even let us carry our tray of food. They would say something if we tried to do anything. It’s a trip none of us will ever forget."