Tatum Songer receives Make-A-Wish gift playhouse
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HURON — Three-year-old Tatum Songer squealed with delight when she spotted her bright purple playhouse with white trim and a bold blue door on Aug. 26 — a Make-a-Wish come true for this little Huron girl who has been battling cancer for the past year.
“She was out there until 11:30 p.m. that night they brought it, then back out the next morning at 8 a.m.,” said Tatum’s mother, Ashley Waagen. “She was out until 2 or 2:30 p.m., came in and said, ‘I tired.’ She hasn’t played that hard in a long time. She gets winded pretty easily. She spends time in it every single day since she got it.”
Tatum had been diagnosed with Wilm’s tumor, a rare kidney cancer that primarily affects children, just weeks before her third birthday.
Tatum’s wish was granted by 15 local businesses in the community and Make-A-Wish organization, which began working on Tatum’s wish in early March, just before the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We want to exceed what the kid thinks, what the family wants, to go above and beyond with all levels,” said Joe Evenson, senior director program services with Make-A-Wish South Dakota.
Evenson contacted Dustin Christianson from Builders FirstSource of Huron, which donated all materials for constructing the playhouse. Other businesses donating time and materials to make the wish come true were Duane’s Carpet Outlet, All Auto Collision, Meyer Modernizing, Bayer Built, Fargo Glass & Paint, Timber Roots, Gene Stocks, Roger Reindl, Protective Coating Specialists, Huron Welding & Mack’s Metal, Modern Woodman of Huron, and Blondie’s Carpet Laying.
“Dustin has a huge heart,” Evenson said. “We make the phone calls, talk about the kids and the wish, then go to the experts like Dustin, who got the other businesses involved in this.”
Also playing a key role in not only this wish, but many others that have been granted, is the South Dakota State Dart Tournament, which has raised more than $500,000 for wishes over the past 25 years.
Because COVID-19 restrictions made a gathering impossible for the wish reveal, the South Dakota State Dart Tournament organized a drive-by parade of well-wishers that passed by Tatum’s home. Members of the Dart Tournament led the parade, which included Huron police and fire department personnel and other community members.
“Our organization seeks to bring every eligible child’s wish to life because every child deserves a childhood,” said Sue Salter, president and CEO of Make-A-Wish South Dakota. “A wish delivers hope to a child with a critical illness, and in these challenging times, we are committed to finding ways to deliver hope.”