DEARBORN, Mich. – For a few hours on Sunday, children and families navigating health challenges found joy amid hardship at Greenfield Village.
“What we want to do is really just create moments where they can be a family without worrying about the medical complexities they may be going through on a daily basis,” said Amy Vining, an executive director of A Kid Again Michigan.
A Kid Again is a national organization dedicated to offering year-round activities for children navigating life-threatening health battles and their families all at no cost.
Mother Sara Abrahamsson said for families battling life-threatening conditions, and sometimes loss, it can be difficult to put into words what they’re going through with family and friends.
Yet during the Holiday Adventure at The Henry Ford, they’re able to connect on a level with other families involving no words.
At two years old, the Abrahamsson family lost 2-year-old Niklas.
“He was strong,” Cameron Abrahamsson said. “He was happy.”
Doctors diagnosed Niklas with Ohtahara Syndrome at birth which is a rare form of epilepsy.
For the family, these adventures pay honor to Niklas Abrahamsson.
It’s a pain few understand, but when at this winter wonderland the Abrahamssons find encouragement.
“It’s important to find your people. It’s important to find families like this that have common continuity, and they understand what you’re going through,” Sara Abrahamsson said.
