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Plane ride donated by Stewards of Sequoia
Laura Hart
Special to the Sun
A little Lake Isabella girl who lost her mother to cancer was
treated to a free sightseeing airplane ride on March 30,
courtesy of a local group.
The Stewards of the Sequoia is a group formed last year that
says they are dedicated to promoting responsible recreation of
all types and environmentalstewardship.
They had a fundraiser recently and gave away the sightseeing
plane trip. However, the plane ride was then donated back to the
club. According to Chris Horgan, executive director of the
group, they had to decide who they were going to give it to.
Horgan said, "I thought perhaps something or a child."
With that thought in mind, Horgan talked to a
member of the group and they found out about a 7-year-old girl
named Breanna Freeman who had recently lost her mother to
cancer. Horgan contacted James and Valerie Stratton, the
guardians of Breanna and
her 1-year-old sister Arihanna, and they were very excited about
it."They thought it was a great idea."
The Strattons heard about the mother of Breanna
and Arihanna, Yvonne Freeman, through their church, the Church
of Christ in Lake Isabella. They were asked at the time if they
would be able to babysit while Yvonne was in the hospital
getting treatments for leukemia. The Strattons agreed and
brought the girls into their home.
After returning from the hospital, Yvonne and her husband, DJ,
had nowhere to go with the two children. "They didnıt have
anybody who could take care of all four of them," said Horgan.
Although they had been babysitting for the girls, that was the
first time the Strattons had met Yvonne and DJ. "I never met her
until she walked through my front door," Valerie said. But after
meeting them, James and Valerie decided they had enough room,
and they all could stay until they could get an apartment. "We
just fell in love with her and her family."
Valerie said they had high hopes that the
therapies would work and Yvonne would live to raise her
children. Then they got the news that the treatment was not
successful and she was given three months to live. At that
point, Valerie said that Yvonne told her that she loved her and
James like her own parents and she wanted them to be the
guardians of her children.
Breanna and Arihannaıs father, DJ, who is deaf,
also agreed the childrenwould be best taken care of by the
Strattons.As the time began to run out, the Strattons took the
family out and hadportraits made for Breanna and Arihanna. "Breanna
has a portrait right on her dresser," Valerie said. "I thought
it was so important. The kids were living in our house and I
thought it would be nice to have portraits up for the kids to
see everyday," Valerie Stratton explained.
And there are more portraits hanging in the Strattons' living
room reminding the children of their mother and reminding the
Strattons of the family they fell in love with.
After they found out Yvonne Freeman's treatments didnıt work,
she was released into the care of hospice. The last thing
Valerie Stratton told Yvonne was that she would take care of her
children. Yvonne passed only a few hours later.
"I went through all the emotion like she was my
daughter," Valerie said. During her struggle, Valerie said,
Yvonne never gave up hope and always tried to stay up. "She
always had a beautiful smile on her face." The Strattons, who
have four grown children of their own, are now starting over
with two young children in their home. "Since weıve gone through
it before you know what to expect, and itıs actually fun, said
James Stratton, who is a Kern County Sheriffıs deputy.
Much of Breanna and Arihannaıs own family have
been there to support the children and the Strattons by helping
out in every way they can. Their aunts, Shannon Thompson and
Crystal Gleason, and grandfather Gene Gleason, keep a very close
bond with the children and assist Valerie and James whenever
they can.
"Theyıre just wonderful to come by and help out,"
said Valerie. And friends Iris and Glen Williams from the Mt.
Mesa Church of Christ have donated their time and energy to help
things go right for these children. Valerie said she gets a call
every week to see if she needs help with shopping or anything.
Pilot Dan Tuttle took Breanna on her first plane
ride last Wednesday in his Piper Cherokee airplane. They had to
wait several weeks until the weather cleared enough to fly.
Tuttle, a member of Stewards of the Sequoia, said he wanted to
make sure the 7-year-old had a good first flight without the
bumps caused by inclement conditions.
Breanna planned to make the flight with her aunt,
Crystal Gleason, because, she said, "My dad is a chicken."
Tuttle said they took in the beauty of our area
in the springtime. "This time of year is a wonderful chance to
look at all the wildflowers." Breanna wanted to get a camera and
take pictures of the mountains, the birds, the lake and the
clouds, and she wanted to fly over her own house. "They (kids)
enjoy flying over where they live," Tuttle said, "and they can
look at the whole neighborhood besides their house." The family
met at Kern Valley Airport, had lunch, and sent young Breanna
off on her first flight over the valley. Asked if she was
nervous about the plane ride, the bright young second-grader
said, "Iım not scared." James Statton said, "The Stewards of the
Sequoia was very generous and Breanna had a wonderful time
seeing the Kern Valley from a special
perspective."
From Kern Valley Sun, April 6, 2005
Copyright 2005 Kern Valley Sun, Lake Isabella CA
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