Big wish comes true for little girl battling rare brain tumor

HILBERT, Wis. (WBAY) - Four-year-old Quinn Romenesko can’t wait to set sail in her new pond.

Almost a dozen Calumet and Manitowoc County fire departments hauled water to fill up a mini-beach in her Hilbert backyard Saturday.

Quinn has a rare brain tumor. It’s so rare, her father told Action 2 News there’s less than 100 cases in the country each year.

Holly De Long met Quinn through Make a Wish earlier this year. She asked Quinn for three wish ideas... but she only wanted one thing.

“She loves the water and we talked about traveling but she already travels to go to the doctors. She says I don’t want to go in an airplane. I don’t want to go away from home. I just want to be able to go in my backyard and go swimming. She repeated it as many times as a three-and-a-half or four-year-old girl can do it,” De Long said.

Community members dove in to make Quinn’s dream a reality.

“We put out a request for all the departments that run mutual aid with us here in Calumet County and all of them stepped up... we hauled 240,000 gallons of water in four hours,” Stockbridge Fire Chief Mike Funk explained.

“I can’t tell you how appreciative and thankful I am that these people have all come out to do this for this little girl,” De Long said. “There’s nothing like granting a wish for a kid and seeing their face and their smiles. This one is close to the heart. I’m so excited. I can’t wait to see her swim!”

Quinn’s pond marks the first time the Stockbridge Fire Department has helped grant a wish.

“In 20 something years of being on the department... I’ve never been involved in a Make a Wish grant. It’s a neat opportunity and we jumped at it,” Funk said.

Family and friends rally behind the phrase “Quinn Strong.”

“She isn’t going to give up. We’re going to be behind her all the way. She’s going to win,” De Long assured.

Quinn loves getting mail.

She’s accepting shells and rocks to help make her pond even more beautiful.

If you’d like to donate, you can send items to:

Quinn Romenesko

N6061 State Highway 55

Hilbert, WI 54129

The Romenesko family also has a GoFundMe set up to help pay for travel and medical expenses.

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