In the swim over dream come true

By Lia Bichel
FOR five-year-old Matthew Nowinski, meeting Scooby-doo and swimming with dolphins seemed like a far reach, but Cardinia-Casey Make-A-Wish Foundation made his dreams come true.
On 9 May, Matthew boarded a flight to Queensland with his parents, Marina and Sebastian, in tow. Ms Nowinski said the much-needed holiday was a great escape from Matthew’s strenuous routine.
Matthew was diagnosed with leukaemia in October 2007.
Ms Nowinski said Matthew was finished intense treatment and currently undergoing maintenance treatment.
He takes oral medication at home, has treatment in Monash Hospital, Clayton once a month, and gets blood tests fortnightly.
“His treatment now is less invasive, but still problematic,” Ms Nowinski said.
“He gets tired of being poked and prodded, and it’s an uneasy feeling for us wondering if the medication is working. We are always concerned or worrying about what is going to happen next, so the trip was a nice break from it all.”
A limousine picked the trio up from the airport and transferred them to their hotel.
For the following week they shopped, took a ride on the aqua duck and followed through with Matthew’s wishes – meeting Scooby-doo and the gang at Movie World and swimming with the dolphins at Sea World.
“He was on adrenalin all week,” Ms Nowinski said.
When it came time to return, Matthew got a fever two hours before boarding a flight back to Melbourne.
Because Matthew has neutropenia, his parents took him to the nearby hospital where he stayed for a week.
The family made the flight home on 22 May.
“The Make-A-Wish Foundation was fantastic the whole time. They guided us through the week,” Ms Nowinski said.
She said the family bonded during the trip and was appreciative of Cardinia-Casey Make-A-Wish Foundation.
“It really is money well spent,” she said. “It gave us time to be together and stop thinking about the things we normally do in daily life. It also gave Matthew a new perspective on life.”