TROY, Mich. – This is a story about one special child affecting many others. Be it a bedroom makeover, a Disney trip or a new puppy, a foundation named for young Jenna Kast is granting wishes to those that suffer as she once did.
"We were named after our youngest daughter, Jenna, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor when she was 3 years old. She lost her battle four years ago," said Paula Kast. "She was a part of it and she loved it."
The Jenna Kast Believe in Miracles Foundation granted its first wish in 2005 when Brett Kast gave his GameBoy to a boy he met in the hospital while visiting his sister.
"It seemed to kind of mean so much more than just a GameBoy to him, and I talked to my mom and I talked to a friend at school, J.D., and we decided that we were going to start by, you know, helping out more kids," said Brett Kast.
Brett Kast and J.D. started selling bracelets and soon the family was able to grant wishes for two to three kids a year.
Now almost 10 years later, the foundation grants wishes to about 30 kids annually.
"How did this effect what you were going through with your daughter and how did Jenna feel about it?" asked Mitch Albom.
"We were leaving a wish and she had had a lot of fun on that wish and all of a sudden she said, 'I don't want to have any more brain tumors,' and then she said, 'But what if I never ever had a brain tumor, you know, would we do this?' and I said, 'Well, I guess not. We probably wouldn't have thought of it,' and she said, 'Well, it's good that I had a brain tumor, but I don't want any more,'" said Paula Kast. "To know that we can help give a gift to a child or send a family on a trip and make a memory that they wouldn't be able to do on their own. It's nice to make kids smile."
Bringing joy and hope to seriously ill children, the Kast family is encouraging all to believe in miracles in the heart of Detroit.
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