Meet Ethan!
Ethan is a smart, funny, sweet and energetic four year old. He loves dinosaurs, cars, trucks, trains, and superheroes. He loves to read, especially about bugs, dinosaurs and animals, and he likes to bake with us, especially in the wintertime when it's pretty cold out. He’s recently started soccer, and he's really excited about starting swimming this summer as well.
We found out that Ethan had cystic fibrosis through newborn screening - when he was just two and a half weeks old. After just a few days with our son, we were scheduling meetings and tests, learning about the markers for cystic fibrosis, and understanding what this would mean for Ethan as he grew up.
For our family, it’s meant physiotherapy twice a day, specialized multivitamins and enzymes to help him grow at proper rate, and most recently Ethan has started using a nebulizer to help loosen the mucus in his lungs. The disease makes Ethan a lot more prone to getting sick, and even a simple cold can take him weeks to recover from.
All of these things just mean that we have to stay very aware of how Ethan is feeling. If he’s coughing or sneezing, we’re probably going to pay a little bit closer attention than the average parent might have to. We’re thinking about “Okay, is this going to be something that leads to antibiotics? A trip to the hospital?” Those questions are always there in the back of your mind.
In spite of all of that, Ethan loves to stay active. He’s always running, laughing and jumping around - all of which are activities that help clear the mucus from his lungs, keep him healthy, but also give him an opportunity to have fun like any other kid.
When asked about his biggest Dream come true, Ethan has told us more than once that he wants to visit the “Dino Wilds” - which anyone with kids will know is a fictional dinosaur world from Paw Patrol. So I’m going to guess that his Dream come true will definitely have something to do with dinosaurs and animals - that would definitely make his day.
To everyone that is working this summer to help make Ethan’s Dream come true, thank you. Ethan is such a special little boy, and the fact that so many people are coming together to help his dream come to life means the world to our family.
Deadlifts for Dreams 4 Leaderboard
NEW in 2022: The #D4D4 Gym Challenge!
This year, we're excited to introduce the 2022 Dream Gym Challenge! We're challenging gyms and training centres from across Manitoba to bring their lifters out and raise funds in support of more dreams come true for Manitoba kids.
How It Works:
As participants register for Deadlifts for Dreams, they will be asked to enter the gym that they typically train at. If there are multiple participants from the same gym, they will be placed on a team and entered in the Dream Gym Challenge!
Whichever gym collectively raises the most by August 27th will become the 2022 Dream Gym! In addition to the glory and bragging rights, the winning gym will also bring home an incredible prize: a push/drag sled courtesy of our friends at Irwin Fitness.
Gym Owners:
If you are a gym or training centre owner, and would like to enter a team of participants in the 2022 Dream Gym Challenge and help make more dreams come true, please contact deadlifts@thedreamfactory.ca to learn more and get your lifters registered!
Premier Sponsors
Manitoba Egg Farmers
Event Sponsors
Beakley Mobile Fitness
Fust & Associates - IG Private Wealth Management
Indus Automation
LA Travel Group
Red River Siding & Eavestroughs
Rihal Digital Designs
Wawanesa Insurance
White Lion Athletics
Zueike
At The Dream Factory, our mission is to bring dreams to life for Manitoba kids who are battling life-threatening illnesses.
Our ultimate goal is to create as many opportunities as possible for kids to just be kids, despite the incredibly difficult battles they may be fighting.
Our Dream Kids are under the age of 18, have been diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, and are able to communicate their dream in some form. We include all immediate family members in the dream experience, and every dream starts with a referral from a member of our community.
Examples of dreams come true over the last 12 months have included a Batman-themed bedroom makeover for Malachi, an incredible trip to Quebec for Jasmine, a brand new backyard playhouse for Kayne, and even a new camper trailer for Aysen!
Our dream is for a world where there are no sick kids, but until that is possible, we work to ensure that every sick child in Manitoba has the opportunity to have their dream come true.
Your support of Deadlifts for Dreams 4 will directly help to ensure that even more dreams can come true for kids right here in our community fighting some incredibly difficult battles. We can't do it without you!