Make-A-Wish surprises Las Vegas girl, 2, her family with camper

Two-year-old Brooklyn King and her family had their wish fulfilled on Saturday when Camping World and Make-A-Wish Nevada gifted them a camper.

The camper will help the Henderson family in their travels to other states for medical care, said Brooklyn’s mom, Tabitha King. Brooklyn’s father, Dan King, and brother Harlee, 5, were also present Saturday at the ceremony at Camping World’s Las Vegas location.

Brooklyn was born with chronic lung disease and a tethered spinal cord that limits her movements, Tabitha King said. The little girl is on a ventilator 24/7, making travel by plane with medical equipment difficult and expensive, her mother said.

Brooklyn also has choking problems, and frequently chokes on her saliva, Tabitha King said, and the family has to travel to see a pediatric trachea specialist in Colorado.

“We don’t have a doctor here in Nevada that can help her,” Tabitha King said. “So, just to be able to go to different states for her medical supplies, for her medical needs, is going to be amazing.”

‘Life-changing for them’

When the family has traveled, hotel rooms often aren’t sanitized enough for Brooklyn to stay there, Tabitha King said. In the camper, however, the family would be able to sanitize the environment themselves.

“Brooklyn and her family just love camping. So for this wish, it will truly be life-changing for them, because they’ll have the ability to go wherever they want and in the comfort of their very own camper,” said Scott Rosenzweig, president and CEO of Make-A-Wish Nevada.

Wishes have helped children get healthy faster, Rosenzweig said.

“We know when kids get wishes, they stick to their treatment. They get healthier faster. They require less medication. So truly, a wish is something that’s not a nice to have, but a need to have,” Rosenzweig said.

“Over 86 percent of our kids go on to lead extraordinary lives. So many people still think we’re granting a dying wish, but that’s just not true,” Rosenzweig said.

Emerging out of a car, the King family was greeted by cheers from friends and extended family. In a heartfelt moment, Brooklyn opened her arms, asking to be held by Rosenzweig.

“This is my favorite part of my job,” Rosenzweig said with a beaming smile, as he carried her.

The family toured the camper, taking in all the amenities and surprise gifts given to the family by the staff of the Camping World store.

“We were planning some fun surprises based on (Brooklyn’s) hobbies and interests, and got together as a team to get all the supplies,” said Brian Jackson, general manager of the store, which is on Las Vegas Boulevard South, south of St. Rose Parkway.

Loves ‘Frozen’

Jackson said Camping World staff surprised the family with an e-reader, headphones, a giant teddy bear, and a camping starter kit. The most rewarding aspect of Saturday was seeing the family’s reaction, Jackson said.

Jackson said that he was excited to work with Make-A-Wish for the first time and that his store got to be involved in granting a child’s wish.

Brooklyn said that she loves the snowman, Olaf, and the reindeer, Sven, from the Disney movie “Frozen.” Tabitha King said Brooklyn always starts smiling as soon as she hears music from the movie.

With a smile, Tabitha King said that she is certainly planning on decorating Brooklyn’s area in the camper with lots of “Frozen” decorations.

To donate or volunteer for Make-A-Wish, Rosenzweig encouraged the public to visit wish.org/nv.

Contact Annie Vong at avong@reviewjournal.com. Follow @annievwrites on X or @annievong.bsky.social.