Distinctly Montana Magazine

38 D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A M A G A Z I N E • S P R I N G 2 0 2 5 ect, they're family for life. For example, any family involved with the program can sign up to attend University of Montana Grizzlies or Montana State University Bobcats football home games all season long. The organization also holds reunions for families at Fairmont Hot Springs twice per year—one during the summer and one during the winter—ensuring kids have at least two weekends per year solely devoted to letting loose and hav- ing fun with their friends. WILEY'S WISH Elliston resident Katie Parker first learned about the Montana Hope Project years ago through Cate, her longtime friend. "When Cate started in her po- sition with the Hope Project, she would talk about the reunions and I thought what they were doing was so neat," Katie recalls. She began volunteering by putting together goodie bags and helping out with table arrangements for the festive gatherings. "I just did anything I could to help out with the little things for two or three years," Katie explains, "but once my son was born, it got a little harder to help as much." Katie's son, Wiley, was diag- nosed with Noonan syndrome by an astute Missoula pediatrician within days of his birth. Noonan's causes him to struggle with cardi- ologic, feeding, gastric, vision, and hematologic issues. "He had no muscle tone at birth," Katie says of her now seven-year- old little boy. "So, he does occu- pational, physical, feeding, and speech therapy to get his body to where it needs to be." Despite his struggles, Wiley is also a typical, energetic kid who loves dogs, his family, and helping out around the house. But he is especially passionate about orcas. Katie and her husband, Paul, submitted an application to the Montana Hope Project on their son's behalf. In September of 2023, the couple traveled to Orlando with Wiley and his now 13-year-old sister, Kacey, to meet the orcas at Sea World. "Seeing it through his eyes was just unbelievable," Ka- tie recalls. "Finally, he got to do some- thing he'd always wanted to do and he was so excited. I felt relief in a way because it is hard to watch him con- stantly struggle through all the medical aspects. He has to be so strong and so tough, and it is so unfair that he has to do that. But this experi- ence was all about fun and it was something he had wanted for so long." The Parker family also thoroughly enjoyed their accommodations at Give Kids the World, an 89-acre, non-profit Florida resort that pro- vides cost-free weeklong vacations to children with critical illnesses and their families. It takes approximately 2,000 volunteers to oper- ate the resort every week. "Give Kids the World was so in tune with making the experience inclusive for the whole family," Katie says. "Our family was able to truly enjoy that time together. So often, medi- cal trips are our vacations, so it was nice for the kids to get a 100%, real vacation."

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