SIDNEY — On Thursday afternoon A Special Wish Foundation of Southwest Ohio granted Alex, 9, of Sidney his very own treehouse. Alex was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia when he was 3 years old, finished his treatment in December 2020 and is in remission. Alex qualified for a wish from A Special Wish Foundation of Southwest Ohio in the spring of 2021.
Originally, Alex wished for something small until his mother, Melissa Lacy, explained that he could wish for anything in the world that he wanted. Alex then decided to ask A Special Wish Foundation for a treehouse he could play video games in.
Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, completion of Alex’s wish was delayed due to supply chain shortages and other related issues.
The pandemic caused shortages in labor and supplies causing multiple contractors and sponsors to back out of the project throughout 2021. Eventually, Alex’s parents, Aaron and Melissa Lacy, started reaching out to the Sidney community. Eventually Aaron reached out to an old friend who agreed to offer time and labor to help make Alex’s wish come true.
A Special Wish wants to acknowledge American Trademark Construction Services (ATCS) for the donation of their time, labor and materials, Piqua Lumber for donating lumber, Burr Oak Tree Services for limb clearing and lift assist, Vandalia Rentals for their donation of a forklift and ALT Architecture for their design.
“Granting a wish like a treehouse is a huge undertaking,” stated David Seyer, executive director of A Special Wish Foundation of Southwest Ohio. “We are grateful for the many partnerships and community support to make Alex’s treehouse wish a reality.”
Building the treehouse commenced in the spring of 2022. Alex’s treehouse will include air conditioning, heating, full-sized sliding doors, windows and electricity for him to play video games. A Special Wish also reached out to Melissa Friday morning to inform her that the foundation has purchased decorations and furniture including a TV and neon sign for Alex’s treehouse.
“One of the first things Alex said after he saw his new treehouse was ‘I can rent this out on Air BNB’,” said Melissa.
The dedication of the treehouse was held Thursday, Sept. 1, at the Lacy home. The family is hosting their own ribbon cutting for Alex’s treehouse for his cousins and friends on Monday and will be spending the weekend decorating and preparing the treehouse.
