ABERDEEN, S.D. (KELO) — Three-year-old Baelyn Schwab loves camping, and today she was granted a wish to make that happen. She received a camper from the Make-A-Wish Foundation Thursday as community members and family hosted a surprise lunch for her at Dacotah Bank in Aberdeen.
In April of last year, 3-year-old Baelyn Schwab was diagnosed with idiopathic acute liver failure.
“We both noticed some yellowing in her eyes and her poop was a little bit weird colored, and we took her to her primary doctor and she ran some labs and then called us a few hours later and pretty much said ‘you have no time to wait you need to get to the cities,'” said Kelsea Schwab, Baelyn’s mother.
Doctors spent four days trying to recover her liver but ultimately ended up putting her on a transplant list. She had her new organ just 10 days after her diagnosis.
“So she’s good right now. We’re just managing symptoms that are left over essentially from transplant that never were really resolved last year. But apart from that, she’s doing really well,” said Kelsea Schwab.
This wish has been in the works since December, as camping brings joy to Baelyn and her family.
“I didn’t expect this many people at all. But it’s great to have a good turnout and to have her have the support of everybody. And we’re obviously very thankful to Dacotah Bank for adopting her wish,” said Kelsea Schwab.
Bonnie Fisher has been making children’s wishes come true for 23 years.
“We don’t get a lot of big reveals, and in order to gather everybody and have all this coordinated together, it’s just unbelievably awesome. I’m just thrilled,” said Bonnie Fisher, a co-ambassador with Make-A-Wish South Dakota and Montana.
For Fisher, the reveal is her favorite part.
“It’s just wonderful to put everybody together and have a day like today,” said Fisher.
This experience with Baelyn prompted Kelsea to donate one of her organs to a little girl up in North Dakota. The family plans their first trip in the camper to go to North Dakota to visit the child Kelsea donated her kidney to.
“They finally got to go home after 600 days, so we’re going to go do a Ronald McDonald House walk with her this weekend,” said Kelsea Schwab.
Baelyn can’t wait to have adventures with her new camper and new liver. Make-A-Wish South Dakota and Montana have granted more than 2,400 wishes since 1984.
Click here to see how you can donate to Make-A-Wish.