Annual fundraiser a wish come true for young cancer patient

FINGER LAKE — Chuck E. Cheese might be a place where a kid can be a kid, but you can’t catch a fish there. That’s a lesson 13-year-old Hunter Austin learned when contemplating his love for fishing and pizza.

Owning a Chuck E. Cheese restaurant was the first thing the Oak Park Middle School student from Leesburg, Fla., thought of when asked by the Make-A-Wish Foundation what he most wanted. Turns out, Make-A-Wish doesn’t buy businesses for people, but could still make a dream come true for the young cancer patient by granting his second wish — ice fishing in Alaska.

The Frontiersman caught up with Austin jigging several lines through the ice on Finger Lake Saturday. The teen, along with mother, Bonnie, and father, Brian, were bundled in a temporary tent trying to pull something — anything — out of one of four augured holes.

“I love fishing,” Austin said. “In Florida, we catch bass — large- and small-mouth — catfish, mudfish, crappie, even the occasional alligator. Fishing is basically my favorite thing. It’s boring, but I love it.”

Austin was one of hundreds of youth dropping lines through the lake as part of the fifth annual Getting’ Jiggy Kids Ice Fishing Derby, a fundraiser for the Alaska Make-A-Wish Foundation. It’s the brainchild of Wasilla resident Paul Reed, who organizes the event. While he enjoys raising money for Make-A-Wish, Reed said this year’s derby is special in that it also granted a wish.

“It’s awesome,” he said. “It’s a first-time dream come true for us and for him. It’s a perfect match. That’s what it’s all about, all about family and kids, and he’s a great kid.”

Until about 13 months ago, Austin thought he was like any other normal kid. He played soccer and enjoys playing trombone in the school band, his mother said. So when he began feeling run down and had backaches, the family doctor said it was just the flu, and the achy back could probably be cured by getting a new mattress.

“A couple of days later, we were in the hospital,” she said. It was Jan. 12, 2011, and the diagnosis was dire — acute myeloid leukemia. It’s a rare form of cancer for someone Hunter’s age, and the treatment was aggressive, Bonnie said.

“I fell to the floor when I first heard, I really did,” she said.

While some children with other forms of leukemia can be in and out of hospitals during treatment, Hunter moved in.

“Most kids are in there, with the type I have, they go for maybe, like, three days, then go back,” he said. “I stayed there straight for seven, eight months. Mine’s more rare for children to get and you’re more likely not to live. … I almost died because my brain wasn’t getting enough blood. But I just feel lucky.”

Hunter said he’d feel even luckier if he caught a fish during the derby. Although Reed reported the fishing had been good — in fact, a derby record 22.5-inch Dolly Varden had been measured by 1 p.m. — Hunter was still looking for his first catch.

“I got nibbles, I got some bites,” he said. “So far, it’s good. If I catch a fish it would be even better.”

If he doesn’t land a fish, though, Hunter said that would be far from a personal tragedy. In addition to making his wish to go ice fishing come true, he’s also had a slice of Alaska life he’ll remember. The family saw a moose, something that’s common place in the Valley but unheard of outside a zoo in Florida.

With the ice on Finger Lake crowded with local kids fishing on Saturday, the significance of Hunter’s trip is meaningful to all involved, said Nicole Sheldon, regional director for Alaska Make-A-Wish Foundation.

“The average cost of a wish for us is $5,000, and over the last four years, Paul has raised over $15,000, so he’s granted three wishes. … When Florida called and said they have this guy who wants to come and ice fish in Alaska, I was over-the-moon excited. It just brings (the Getting’ Jiggy derby) to life, because his wish is being fulfilled today. I get butterflies a lot with my job, but this is a whole exciting experience.”

Hunter is in remission and plans to study and become a pharmaceutical chemist so he can develop drugs that cure people. He also has some advice for other teens when they feel life’s not treating them fairly.

“Be happy for what you got, because you don’t realize what you have until it’s gone,” he said. “Grow up, tough luck. Stuff happens, so who cares? Deal with it and keep going.”

Contact reporter Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.