Each year a Port Hope mother makes a special costume for her son that is battling something that he’ll never win.
But it’s about quality of life for 15-year-old Owen Reid.
Owen shares a special bond with his mother Sarah Orr that is very felt the moment you meet them.
The costume this year, life every year was made from a mother’s sweat and tears, but mostly love to see her son drive.
Driving is something that 15-year-old Owen Reid will never do.
Owen has had a progressive incurable disease. It’s genetic. Symptoms started to appear when he was three-years-old, but it wasn’t actually diagnosed until he was approximately eight-years-old.
The proper name is neuro-dengernerative brain-iron accumulation disorder and a mitochondrial dysfunction.
The bond of the mother and son captures the heart of everyone that meets the two of them.
From regular visits at Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto to the community of Port Hope.
Orr has always done anything she can for her son to put a smile on his face.
During Halloween it’s always tricky to find something for Owen to wear given he’s been confined to a wheelchair since he was approximately eight-years-old.
As Owen gets closer to the age of driving – it’s something that he will never get to do.
Something that most other teenagers take for granted.
But each year, Orr creates something that not only puts a smile on her son’s face and “makes his heart happy,” but she also makes the neighbourhood smile.
Each year, neighbours in her community can’t wait to see Owen’s costume.
In previous years Orr has made a firetruck, police car, garbage truck, snow plow and bulldozer that fits over the motorized wheelchair.
But with COVID, this year was extremely different.
Orr came up with the idea of creating a UPS courier truck.
Owen’s immune system is extremely sensitive. If he ever caught COVID, it would likely take his life.
But Orr didn’t want to deprive her son of enjoying the special day he looks forward to every year.
“We don’t necessarily feel safe going door-to-door receiving candy, so we talked about doing something out of the ordinary.”
With Orr working on the costume for the past two weeks taking up most of her small kitchen, Owen was busy working on filling 80 “UPS” boxes they made with candy to be delivered to houses like the real UPS couriers.
It was a “box of sunshine” that was filled with a note and candy that was either golden or yellow.
“We tried to get everything as close to UPS as possible to even include little tiny brown boxes with the logo.”
The license plate on the UPS truck says “GIVE” because of what the mother and son were doing this year.
On the back of the courier truck instead of the UPS number, Orr put 1-800-GIVE HOPE.
“Hope” is Orr’s favourite word and it’s something she lives by every day.
With COVID it’s something she said we all need to have. Hope for the future and hope things will get better.
“It’s about spreading sunshine hope and happiness during hard times.”
A local UPS driver name John heard about Orr was creating for her son and last week he dropped off a UPS coat for the costume that Owen wore on Halloween.
With Owen driving the delivery truck ,Orr would take each parcel and deliver it to the front door of homes.
The emotion of what Orr is going through comes out when she talks about her son.
“He’s such a boy and likes to drive. So creating a vehicle for him every year is his way of driving around the neighbourhood.”
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
