As a nation celebrates arguably one of its proudest moments in Olympic history, a 17-year-old from Nova Scotia boy could have been the most grateful of anyone in attendance.
Tantallon, Nova Scotia's Graham Young was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis just before his third birthday in 1996. The chronic lung disease has made it more difficult for him to play Canada's sport, but he has nevertheless progressed to the high school level of play.
Six years ago, Graham's parents were told that he was eligible to receive his most heartfelt wish from Children's Wish. There was little doubt in Graham's mind what he wished for. In his words: "to watch the best hockey players in the world play with the weight of their nation on their back to try and capture gold." It is even more special to witness sports history in the making on Canadian soil.
In order to make this wish a reality, Children's Wish engaged the help of long-time corporate supporter Emera, who, in turn, approached BCLC and racetrack owner Great Canadian Gaming Corporation. As Young and the rest of Canada watched with nervous excitement, Sidney Crosby, whose hometown of Cole Harbour is some 40 minutes away from Tantallon, slid the winning goal though the legs of tournament MVP Ryan Miller and Canada erupted in celebration.
Reports indicate that the Olympic hockey venue could have been sold out 19 times over. I, for one, am glad to know that Graham Young was one of the people there and extremely proud that harness racing has a connection to making this wish come true. While I'm sure we were all wishing for a Canadian win, some wishes seem more worthy of granting than others.