Suburban Chicago father with cancer surprised with family trip to Disney World
NORTH RIVERSIDE, Ill. (CBS) – A suburban family was headed to Disney World this week, and CBS 2's cameras were there when they found out about the free vacation.
CBS 2's Lauren Victory went behind the scenes of the surprise of a lifetime.
Even though a lot of popular characters were on hand, everyone was getting ready for a special someone who lives a few blocks away from a North Riverside park. There had confetti cannons for the man of the hour: Stephanie Panoski's husband, Timothy.
"He's a very happy, oh man," Panoski said as she teared up. "He's a very happy human being."
Timothy, 25, is a father of two and fighting osteosarcoma, a cancer that took his arm. Doctors said the disease is terminal.
"I have noticed that the cancer has got to him very hard," Stephanie said. "He gets very depressed, and it sucks seeing him like that."
That's where the jolly crew came in: Santa and Mrs. Claus teamed up with the Nikolas Ritschel Foundation, also known as Nik's Wish. The Rockford-based organization plans and pays for fun trips and other gifts for cancer patients in their late teens and early 20s.
"This would be a first experience for him and the kids," Stephanie said.
She told Nik's Wish that Timothy someday hoped to go to Disney World with his family.
"But he doesn't know when yet," Stephanie said before the big surprise.
The wishmakers were on their way to tell the young father to pack his bags and that his Christmas would be spent in Disney World.
And then they arrived, with a large "magic" lamp in toe. They knocked on the door. Timothy answered and the surprise was obvious on his face.
"Woah!" said Timothy.
Kelli Ritschel Boehle lives to deliver this sort of joy.
"Your wish is granted!" Ritschel Boehle told Timothy.
Her son Nik's dying wish was to bring happiness to other young adults with cancer.
"There are no programs for kids who are over 18," Ritschel Boehle said. "They're all focused on pediatric cancers. So there's this [age] gap."
Going to the happiest place on earth will help Timothy feel like a kid and get his mind off his treatment.
"I've been ... to hell and back pretty much," Timothy said.
Not thinking about cancer is important for his children, too, he said.
"Now it's actually happening, and he can actually go enjoy himself and be a kid," Timothy said of his son.
Ritschel Boehle hopes to fulfill hundreds more than the over 300 wishes she's already helped grant, but it takes more than a magic lamp.
Victory: "What does an average wish cost?"
Ritschel Boehle: "Well, an average wish costs, if it's a Disney wish like this, it'll be somewhere around seven to eight thousand dollars."
It's a pretty penny that's worth it for a little prince and a tiny princess to spend quality time with their dad away from the hospital.
Timothy: "Thank you Kelli!"
Ritschel Boehle: "Aw, you're welcome!"
For the sake of full disclosure, CBS 2's Lauren Victory is very familiar with Nik's Wish. She's supported the organization and had the pleasure of being part of multiple wishes for years.
For those who want to get more involved, visit NikolasRitschelFoundation.org.
