When wishes come true
<p>Damien Day, 10, licks his fingers after he accidentally sprayed too much whip cream on his bubble gum-flavored smoothie Friday at The Grind Espresso in Coeur d'Alene. Damien's mother, Valerie Hays, owns the coffee stand and donated all profits from sales Friday to the Wishing Star Foundation which provided services for Damien and his family following the surgical removal and chemotherapy for a brain tumor that was discovered when Damien was 3.</p>
COEUR d'ALENE - For Valerie Hays, Friday was not about coffee drinks or smoothies or iced teas at The Grind Espresso.
It was not about making money.
It was about granting wishes.
Hopefully, lots and lots of wishes.
"We want to give back to Wishing Star so that we can give the same opportunity we had to another child," Hays said as she stood in her red coffee stand at 505 W. Kathleen Ave.
Hays, joined late Friday afternoon by 10-year-old son Damien, was donating all proceeds from the day's sales to the Wishing Star Foundation.
For a coffee stand that just opened a month ago and is still building a steady customer base, it was a sacrifice. But one, Hays said, that not only needed to be made, but that the family wanted to make.
"What they did for us meant the world to our family and we are so appreciative," Hays said. "Damien still writes about it in all of his school projects."
What he recounts on paper is that trip to Disney World in Orlando, Fla., two years ago, courtesy of the Wishing Star Foundation. Joined by his mom and a few relatives, they had the trip of a lifetime. Their travel expenses, lodging, and food were covered. The park rides, spectacular. Everything was amazing.
Damien deserved it, Hays said.
When he was 3 years old, he developed a limp that his parents thought was unusual, so they took him to the doctor for a checkup. Later, the left side of his face began drooping.
He was rushed to the hospital, where an MRI revealed a cancerous brain tumor the size of a baseball. If it had gone undetected another week, his mom said, Damien could have died.
Doctors were able to remove 70 percent of the tumor. Treatment also included a year and half of chemotherapy.
It was effective.
Today, he's a fit fourth-grader at Borah Elementary. He enjoys basketball and football and math, too.
"I like division," he said.
Damien undergoes an MRI every six months to be sure the tumor remains in remission. His mom remains thankful to the foundation for providing the family with a trip it could not have afforded.
"It made it really, really special for him. He'll never forget it," the Coeur d'Alene woman said.
Valerie Hays and husband Clint opened The Grind Espresso last month. They have an array of coffee and noncoffee drinks.
"We have a Red Bull smoothie that's really yummy," Valerie said, smiling.
Friday was busy, so they hope when they tally the day's sales, it will be a substantial donation.
That could lead to even more wishes coming true.
"We want to help other kids get their wishes," she said.