Make a Wish Idaho grants treehouse wish for local boy with leukemia
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IDAHO FALLS — Henry Bowen smiled ear to ear when he got the chance to explore his brand new treehouse – a gift from Make a Wish Idaho to the six-year-old boy last week.
To Henry’s family, this was a day of joy after months of unimaginable worry.
Right after Henry turned 5 in September 2019, he was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Months of treatment were rough for both him and his family, especially since he was considered high risk.
“It was pretty devastating. It was probably one of the worst days of our life,” Michelle Bowen, Henry’s mom, told EastIdahoNews.com. “My husband was with me when we took him to the emergency room at Primary Children’s and you almost just can’t wrap your mind around everything.”
She explained that the first 10 months of treatments were rough, but for the most part, Henry has done pretty well for close to two years now. He is currently in maintenance, meaning he doesn’t need to get IV medication as often. If the cancer doesn’t relapse, he will be able to finish treatment in January.
Henry and his family were nominated for Make a Wish Idaho and the family was selected to have his wish granted. Originally, Henry and the family talked about having a fun trip to somewhere he would really enjoy, but COVID-19 created complications.
Suddenly Henry got really excited about a treehouse, an idea that he wouldn’t stop thinking about until the day it was finished.
In hindsight, Bowen considers the fact that they couldn’t do a travel trip a blessing in disguise.
“We actually almost like the idea of better than going on a trip just because he can do it every day and have something to play with and he’s been really happy and excited to have it,” she explained.
Make a Wish Idaho worked with Constructions Solutions Company, a local business they have worked with before to grant other wishes. The company worked on the design and execution, and on Friday afternoon, the treehouse was delivered to the deserving boy.
“We told him in February… and he’s been like itching to get out here every day,” Bowen added. “He came up with jobs for everybody to do when they’re in the treehouse so he’s just been really excited about it.”
Henry was happy to submit ideas for the treehouse – like a bucket pull and a hammock, which were included in the final design. For him, this was one big wish that was indeed granted.
Henry was too busy to speak with this reporter as he was having to much fun exploring his new treehouse.