A final wish fulfilled

Sharon McGregor of Kalispell is familiar with overcoming illness. In 2005, she received chemotherapy treatment for a brain tumor that turned out to be benign. She’s also had polycystic kidney disease most of her life.

But last April her world really turned upside down. She had a heart attack and the doctors told her she only had one year to live — she had congestive heart failure at the age of 48.

Just three weeks before, she had returned to the Flathead Valley to be with her family. She had planned to retire in Florida, but missed her children too much. Before moving to Florida she lived in the valley for about 20 years.

Earlier this month she was awarded a dream trip to Disneyland with her family by the Dream Foundation. She’s going with her children, Connor and Kailynd and granddaughter Rossilyn, 5. Dream Foundation is a national dream-granting organization for terminally-ill adults. They have never turned down a qualified dream request.

Courtney Laabs, an Iron Dreams triathlete and Brian MacDonald, dream volunteer from Genentech BioOncology, celebrated with Sharon and her family at Applebee’s in Kalispell recently. Sharon’s younger daughter Brenna and granddaughter Adeline were also at the celebration.

Sharon was in the hospital from April to August 2015, where she spent some time at the Brendan House, a nursing home facility at Kalispell Regional Medical Center. The doctors at the house told her about the Dream Foundation and helped her submit the application. She had many wishes, but eventually decided that her final dream would take her back to her “happy place.”

Her father, Kenneth McGregor, died when she was a child and her last best memory of him was at Disneyland. In her mind, that time with him was “complete joy”. Disneyland’s official tagline, “The Happiest Place On Earth,” is true for her. It is her happy place. She wants to leave her children and grandchild with similar memories to cherish after she’s gone.

“I want to take them someplace they’ll never forget,” she said. She was born near Huntington Beach, 19 miles from Disneyland. She’ll show her children and granddaughter where she grew up and spend time with family and friends that she hasn’t seen in 15 years.

The trip is made more special because her best friend from high school will be meeting them at Disneyland. She recalled that 30 years ago they were “giggling teenagers” visiting the park for graduation.

In addition to Disneyland, the trip on May 1-5 will take them to the beach and Universal Studios.

Sharon is doing well despite her diagnosis. She’s staying healthy by eating right and doing cardiac rehabilitation at the Summit Medical Fitness Center. She said she’s just a baby compared to others at the center. Her children are the reason that she works to be healthy. They’re the highlight of her life, she said.

Kailynd and Rossilyn live with her. The illness has been difficult for the preschooler to understand. Rossilyn doesn’t really know what’s going on with her grandmother and is scared when she goes to the hospital. Sharon said they try to remove the fear from it and put it through a five-year-old filter. Rossilyn is most excited about meeting Minnie Mouse and seeing the Harry Potter exhibit.

Sharon said her children have been through a lot with her. Kailynd was especially supportive a decade ago when Sharon went through treatment for her brain tumor. She recalled that Kailynd traveled with her to Salt Lake City for treatment. She was only 16 at the time, but was determined to support her mom and not leave her alone. Kailynd slept on the floor of the hospital for two months.

Her ex-husband, Eric Shockley of Columbia Falls, has also been supportive through it all. He visited her in the hospital last year. She said they have a good relationship after being separated for 12 years.