Chism family receives Magic Moment

The Chism family has been in and out of the hospital this year. Shelby, a single mother, had 3 surgeries in a short time. Immediately after, her 4-year-old daughter Nova was diagnosed with a rare disease.

It causes her body to mistakenly destroy her red blood cells when she is in cold conditions. She has to stay indoors to keep her body temperature up and is required to wear long clothing.

“For her, it just means a lot for her, you know with her being sick she doesn’t totally understand everything that was going on and it’s just a good feeling,” Shelby said.

As Nova endured countless blood draws, ultrasounds, and various treatments for her condition, Shelby never left her side, all while keeping her 2-year-old son with her.

The holiday season is about the spirit of giving and helping others, and that’s exactly why Shelby’s mother nominated her for Union Bank’s Magic Moments.

“It was hard to watch her go through all that and the struggles she was having and so I wanted something that could hopefully ease the burden a little bit,” Shelby’s mother, April Lapointe said.

April helped Union Bank find her daughter the perfect gifts, including a new washer and dryer.

“The washer and dryer is a big step for us, very big, we moved from a three story apartment so we were carrying the laundry down a couple flights of stairs to my mom’s house every weekend,” Shelby said.

Other gifts included a vacuum, high chair, gas cards to help with trips to the hospital, a pass to the Lincoln Children’s Museum, new toys and warm clothes.

“I’m hoping that she will have a happy holiday and can face the new year moving forward,” April said.

After several surgeries and finding out the diagnosis of her daughter, Shelby can finally have some relief during the holidays.