Foundation making dreams come true for those facing death

Everyone's heard of Make-A-Wish Foundation, but I had never heard of the Dream Foundation, which makes dying wishes come true for adults 18 and older.

Then I met two women Thursday whose dreams were to come to Las Vegas, probably for the last time.

One was a mother of three who made a Las Vegas trip her dream so that she could see her children swim with the dolphins at The Mirage. Mindee Paulsen, 37, of Salt Lake City crafted a wish that would make her children happy.

The second woman was Connie Brown, 53, of Fort Morgan, Colo., whose wish was to come to Las Vegas with her best friend of 10 years, Loretta Dunn, a trip they had long talked about, a celebration of friendship.

This week, the foundation fulfilled those Vegas dreams of making memories with family and friends, aided by MGM Resorts International, which partnered with the foundation for the first time this year.

Mindee's two oldest children, 14 and 12, swam with the dolphins, but not the 4-year-old. Andrew, the oldest, admitted at first it was a little scary swimming with a dolphin larger than he is.

Her family stayed at the kid-friendly Circus Circus hotel, spent a day at the Adventuredome and saw "Love."

Mindee watched her children's joy while sitting in a wheelchair and using oxygen. Her breast cancer was diagnosed in March 2009 and despite treatments has spread throughout her body.

She and her mother, Dixie Smith, wept as we discussed dying. Though she was a hospice nurse before becoming sick, Mindee said that doesn't make dying any easier. She has hospice care now and said her advice to others in her situation is: "Just let them help you. I was supposed to be gone a long time ago, but they (hospice) helped me so I could make this trip."

She recommended cancer patients "have something to look forward to all the time."

Finally, she said, "Never give up and stay positive."

Connie said the same thing.

The rehab nurse's breast cancer from six years ago reoccurred, and she was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer two years ago. The diagnosis was bleak, and she knew it.

"As a nurse, you take care of so many dying cancer patients, and most just kind of give up." But she advised: "Always get another opinion and don't give up." And she hasn't.

She wanted an uplifting experience, so the plan was to spend time by the MGM Grand pool, enjoy a luxury dinner and see two shows: Terry Fator and David Copperfield. On their own, the friends went to see "Thunder Down Under," which was uplifting in its own way, they laughed.

Unable to work for the past 18 months, Connie couldn't have afforded this trip without the Dream Foundation. Neither could Mindee, whose husband left her when she was diagnosed.

The foundation was formed in 1994 for people expected to live a year or less. While 13,335 dreams were arranged, some people died before completing their dreams. Others became too weak.

The dreams of 57 Las Vegans have been met, said Erinn Lynch, director of communications for the Santa Barbara, Calif.-based foundation started by Thomas Rollerson.

One Las Vegas man's modest dream was completed last week. Carlos, who suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis , simply wanted comfortable cushions for his power chair.

"We have served 143 dreams for families who want to go to Vegas, and as the city becomes more known for family activities, restaurants and entertainment, we are seeing an increase in Vegas dreams," the spokeswoman said.

Funnyman Brad Garrett has been a strong supporter of the foundation. So has Las Vegas-based AEG, which helps fulfill dreams about sports and entertainment.

What would your dream be if you were dying?

Jane Ann Morrison's column appears Monday, Thursday and Saturday. Email her at Jane@reviewjournal.com or call her at (702) 383-0275. She also blogs at lvrj.com/blogs/Morrison