6-year-old E-Town cancer survivor gets his Disney wish [photos, video]

Six-year-old Kalvin Swartzendruber spent last Christmas recovering from surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his kidney and undergoing chemotherapy. Throughout his treatment, he’d watch videos of roller coasters like the Incredicoaster at Disney California Adventure Park.

This year during the holiday season, the Elizabethtown resident will get to ride the real-life Incredicoaster with his family while celebrating being cancer-free.

“He would get so excited over those videos, like ‘I’m going to do this one day,’ ” his mother, Meredith Swartzendruber, recalled.

On Tuesday, the Make-A-Wish Foundation surprised Kalvin with the news that they’d granted his wish to go to Disneyland. The committee organizing the Make-A-wish Mother’s Day Convoy in Lancaster County invited Kalvin to describe his wish and revealed that it was coming true.

“This is so beautiful. Thanks to everyone,” Kalvin said after the reveal.

Later this month, Kalvin and his family will travel to California for four days, spending two days at the park riding roller coasters and meeting characters from his favorite movies.

“He’s been through so much, and it’s going to be so nice that our family can spend this time together, and kind of put that behind us,” Swartzendruber said.

‘Getting the bad thing out’

Doctors found a tumor on Kalvin’s kidney in August 2021. While the news devastated his parents, they knew their son had an increased risk of cancer due to a genetic condition, Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome, which causes him to grow faster than other kids. The syndrome affects about one in 11,000 children, according to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Kalvin’s father, Adam, and his 10-year-old brother Ayden also have it.

Because children with the disease grow abnormally fast, they can also develop tumors very quickly. Therefore, until they are 7, they receive scans and bloodwork three times a year.

Doctors found Kalvin’s malignant tumor when he was 5 years old, just as the family was in the midst of a move from Maine to Elizabethtown.

“It’s not something you expect. You move to a new state, you’re getting Kalvin ready for kindergarten, and boom, here’s something thrown at you,” Meredith Swartzendruber said.

Within two weeks of doctors confirming his diagnosis, Kalvin was receiving chemotherapy. In December, he had surgery to remove the tumor and part of his kidney. Though he’s still at an increased risk, Kalvin’s scans have been cancer-free.

Kalvin’s cancer was detected and treated quickly, but he still had challenges – like spending three months homebound due to an unusual reaction to chemotherapy that damaged his liver.

His mom was in awe of his courage throughout. One time, when he was going into surgery, he told her she shouldn’t worry about him, because he was “getting the bad thing out today.”

“He’s one of the bravest kids I've ever met in my life. I’m not just saying that because I'm his mother,” Swartzendruber said.

Love of coasters

One of the ways that Kalvin got through his treatment was watching videos of roller coasters. On YouTube there are hours of footage taken from the front seat of rides at Disney, Universal and other parks, but Kalvin’s favorite was the Incredicoaster. The videos motivated him throughout his treatment.

He would tell his mom regularly how he wanted to go to “The California Disney.” When he got his chemotherapy port removed, he reminded his mom that he could go on roller coasters again.

Around the same time, the family heard from Make-A-Wish. After interviewing Kalvin to find out his likes, Disney California Adventure was the obvious choice.

Swartzendruber learned in October that they’d been chosen to go the week before Christmas, which she said will make the trip “extra magical.”

Along with Make-A-Wish, the family agreed to make it a surprise for Kalvin and his brother Ayden. Like any good Christmas present, the surprise was hard to keep under wraps.

The people behind local Make-A-Wish Mother’s Day Truck Convoy helped reveal the surprise, hosting him during a monthly meeting at the Manheim auto auction. The truck convoy is a fun event for wish kids and a major fundraising event for the organization. It generated over $500,000 for the foundation last year, with 86% going to wishes like Kalvin’s.

For Terry Finch, who chairs the convoy, giving families like the Swartzendrubers a chance to make memories and temporarily forget about their child’s illness makes it all worth it.

“The whole family can just kind of exhale and relax during that time,” she said.

Kalvin’s parents told him that he would be attending Tuesday’s meeting so he could tell the committee his wish. After he told them, Finch helped him read a “proclamation” that said that it had been granted.

“That’s my wish,” Kalvin responded.

They celebrated with Mickey-themed pizza and cupcakes. Kalvin got a doll from Disney’s “Lilo and Stitch,” and his brother Ayden got a toy lightsaber from the “Star Wars” series.

The reveal made for an unforgettable moment, but for the family the real satisfaction will come later this month when Kalvin straps into his favorite ride.

“The best part will be seeing his reaction, seeing him get to experience what he watched in videos during his treatment,” Swartzendruber said.