JJ Umbreit, a four-year-old Bowman boy with retinoblastoma, is about to have his one wish come true.
By BRYCE MARTIN
Pioneer Editor | [email protected]
JJ Umbreit, a four-year-old Bowman boy with retinoblastoma, is about to have his one wish come true.
Make-A-Wish North Dakota said it is happy to grant Umbreit’s wish to meet Kylo Ren, of “Star Wars” fame, at Walt Disney World Resort at the end of this month.
Umbreit and his family will travel from Bowman to Dickinson on Halloween. Even though he’s away from home, trick or treating is on the top of his to do list. He and his family will be escorted on their trick or treating adventure throughout Dickinson by several storm troopers.
The magical wish experience will begin Nov. 1 when Umbreit and his family board a flight for sunny Orlando, Fla. Once they land, the magic continues.
The family will be staying Give Kids the World Village.
Umbreit and his family will get the chance to explore all of the Disney theme parks and of course get to see the characters he is so excited to meet.
He will meet Kylo Ren and other Star Wars characters as he has the opportunity to discover Magic Kingdom, Universal Orlando and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Most importantly, throughout this trip Umbreit and his family will have the opportunity to create amazing memories together.
“It’s never easy for a family to go through the struggle of having a sick child but with this wish comes a chance to forget about illness, doctors, and treatment and spend quality time as a family,” Make-A-Wish said. “Wishes like JJ’s help restore the hope, strength and joy into these family’s lives.”
Three-year-old Umbreit was diagnosed with eye cancer March 20, 2015. He and his family have lived in the community for about two years, relocating to Bowman County in August 2014. Umbreit is the grandson of Jim and Wanda Powell of Bowman and Roxanne and Ray Kromarek of Scranton.
According to the American Cancer Society, eye cancers can occur at any age, but the risk for most types increases as people get older. Most cancers of the eye in adults are melanomas, with lymphomas being the next most common.
In children, retinoblastoma—a cancer that starts in cells in the retina—is the most common eye cancer, yet it is still considered rare.
Umbreit was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a cancer that could ultimately claim his eyesight.
Retinoblastoma rapidly develops from young cells of a retina, the light-detecting tissue of the eye.
Almost all children survive retinoblastoma, according to the American Cancer Society, although they may lose their vision in the affected eye or need to have the eye removed.
The priority of retinoblastoma treatment is to preserve the life of the child, then to preserve vision, and finally to minimize complications or side effects of treatment. There are multiple treatments for the cancer and it has one of the best cure rates of childhood cancers, 95 to 98 percent
Make-A-Wish grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. Since its inception in 1985, Make-A-Wish North Dakota has granted over 780 wishes to children across the state.
