Wish granted

Seeing a Florida sunset and sunrise together has been a dream for Larry Kelly and Linda Allen for the past 13 years. It’s finally coming true.
Kelly, 49, a Dunkirk resident who is battling a fatal disease, and Allen, his fiancée, will make a four-day trip to Florida this week thanks to State of the Heart Hospice, Dream Foundation and Corynna’s Wish.
When he got the opportunity, Kelly, who was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) — also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease — two years ago, didn’t have to think twice about what his wish would be. He and Allen have wanted to visit Florida, to have their feet in the sand while watching a sunrise and sunset, for most of their relationship.
“If I can be with her to see the sun setting and coming up on the water, that is all I want,” said Kelly.
Kelly wanted to spend time in Florida with Allen because he spent some of his childhood there when his father was a U.S. Navy SEAL.
Allen is excited to get some alone time with Kelly because it’s rare in the house they share with their children, grandchildren and dog Little-Bit. She’s also looking forward to the trip because she knows her time remaining with Kelly is limited.
ALS affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord, which eventually leads to paralysis and death.
There is no cure.
“We don’t know how much longer he has, and we get to do it together, just the two of us,” she said.
Jennifer VanSkyock, a social worker at State of the Heart Hospice, helped arrange the couple’s dream vacation.
“We talk about closure needs and if they have any dreams,” VanSkyock explained. “Larry expressed a wish to go back to the ocean and take Linda with him to see the beauty of the sunset and sunrise on the ocean.”
After learning about Kelly’s dream, VanSkyock contacted Dream Foundation, the nation’s largest wish-granting organization. She then filled out the application, and Kelly was selected to have his wish become a reality.
“It’s a wonderful feeling, they get to do something they never thought was possible,” said VanSkyock.
Dream Foundation made all the arrangements for the trip and is providing the couple’s hotel room and plane tickets. But Kelly and Allen were still unsure they’d be able to afford food and transportation while in Florida because Kelly’s inability to work limits their income.
Then, they learned about Corynna’s Wish.
The program was established in honor of Corynna Strawser, a former State of the Heart patient who was committed to “paying it forward” prior to her death in December at the age of 16. Corynna’s Wish helps State of the Heart Hospice patients fund their dying wishes.
Kelly applied for the funding and was granted the rest of the money he needed to make the dream of a Florida trip a reality.
Preparation for the vacation hasn’t been easy. Officials have arranged wheelchair access throughout various airports and obtained approval for an oxygen tank on the plane.
Allen’s first plane ride will be the one they take Wednesday. She’s nervous but excited to get to Florida.
“It’ll be worth it once I’m on the sand watching the ocean,” she said of the trip that will conclude Saturday.
Allen and Kelly are very grateful for hospice and the opportunity to spend a vacation together while dealing with Kelly’s illness.
“At one point when I was making phone calls and trying to get through to hospitals and insurance, I just cried. I thought it was awful. I thought, ‘I give up, I don’t know what to do.’ Then hospice stepped in,” said Allen.