Join a neighborhood holiday parade to cheer a 2-year-old with cancer

Santa and Mrs. Claus need some good-hearted holiday elves to make Christmas merry and bright for one Lockport family.

Debbie Gill and her boyfriend, Kevin Cammack, started a Santa’s Hut program at Cammack’s Lockport home last year to raise funds for nonprofits and give people a socially distance opportunity for free photos with Santa.

Gill and Cammack are repeating the program this year – but the recipient is a family in their close-knit Lockport Heights neighborhood. Wyatt, the 2-year-old son of Kaylee and Doug Blevins, is battling leukemia and recently recovered from COVID-19. The family also has a 4-year-old daughter, Haven.

“It [pediatric cancer] isn’t really a thing you think can happen to your family,” Gill said. “But it’s happening to one of our families.”

The Santa Hut will be open from 3 to 7 p.m. Saturday at 16737 W. 146th Place in Lockport. Families may spend three minutes with Santa, including taking pictures. Hot chocolate and candy canes will be served until they run out, Gill said. The event is free.

The elves will also collect pre-wrapped presents for the Blevins familyi on Saturday. For information, including the wish list, email debbiegill75@outlook.com.

Cash donations accepted on Saturday will be sent to the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation, Gill said.

On Sunday, decorate your vehicle and return to Santa’s Hut at 1 p.m. to participate in a holiday parade to the Blevins’ home. Santa and Mrs. Claus will lead the way, Gill said. The parade starts at 1:30 p.m. and will include delivery of the pre-wrapped gifts, Gill said.

‘We don’t live a normal life anymore’

Kaylee said Wyatt, a happy and active child, started having “stomach issues” in August, along with random fevers. The diagnosis was constipation, she said. But Wyatt didn’t respond to the medication and grew more pale, Kaylee said.

Wyatt began vomiting Sept. 12, so Kaylee took him to the emergency department, Kaylee said. Wyatt’s red blood cell count was dangerously low, so he was flown to Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago at 1 a.m. and sent to the intensive care unit, Kaylee said.

On Sept. 13, Wyatt had a diagnosis of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and received two blood transfusions, Kaylee said. Wyatt later got a port, spinal tap, bone marrow biopsy, chemotherapy and steroids. The steroids made Wyatt hungry and cranky, Kaylee said. He didn’t sleep well, and his little muscles hurt so much he stopped walking for a month, she said.

“This once active toddler turned into a kid I didn’t know,” Kaylee said. “My daughter would try to get him to play. If she got a smile, she’d say, ‘Oh, my gosh! He smiled! He’s getting better!’ It was so sweet seeing her trying to help him.”

Twenty-eight days later, Wyatt was in remission, Kaylee said. But Wyatt needs three years of treatment to ensure every cancer cell is wiped out forever, she said.

The battle to “forever” is really hard.

Getting Wyatt to take medication is a challenge. He’s prone to infection and any fever has a protocol. A foundation recently treated the family to a weekend getaway – which was cut very short when Wyatt’s temperature unexpectedly shot up.

“I felt like cancer knew we were having so much fun,” Kaylee said. “Cancer just had to make a statement.”

Kaylee said she has a bag packed and ready to go at the first sign of infection or other health concern, which can happen at any time.

“Cancer doesn’t care if it’s your birthday or Christmas or Thanksgiving,” Kaylee said.

Wyatt’s illness is hard on Haven, too, since she’s separated from her family when Wyatt is hospitalized, Kaylee said.

And try explaining chemotherapy to a 2-year-old when he’s “scared and terrified,” Kaylee said. So Kaylee uses the “body part” game to help him feel more comfortable. When Kaylee asks Wyatt – “Where’s your head?” and “Where’s your belly?” – she now also adds, “Where’s your port?”

“We don’t live a normal life anymore,” Kaylee said.

Kaylee feels pediatric cancer gets insufficient awareness or funding when it desperately needs both. She’s determined to fight for Wyatt and others like him.

“I’m never going to stop being the voice for those kids,” Kaylee said.