Family whose daughter was hit by driver in Saanich crosswalk starts fundraiser to help others

Kairry Nguyen remembers the support her family received after her daughter Leila Bui was hit by a driver in a Saanich crosswalk in 2017, suffered severe brain damage and confined to a wheelchair.

“We were just thinking bout Leila, didn’t have time for anything else,” said Kairry, Leila’s mother, remembering when Leila was first in the hospital.

The Help Fill a Dream Foundation stepped in, paying for food and accommodation for the family while Leila was in the BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver.

“We travel on that journey with these families helping them with anything we can, and that’s everything from filling a tank of gas, to new medical equipment, for prescriptions, whatever the family needs,” said Craig Smith, executive director of the Help Fill a Dream Foundation.

For the Bui family, that meant a new ramp for Leila’s wheelchair and money for a van with a lift, so they could all travel together as a family.

Now, the Bui’s are giving back. Leila’s 11-year-old sister Myla started a fundraiser called 1001 Cranes, 1 WISH to give back to the Help Fill a Dream Foundation. The goal was $2,002 and Myla originally planned on making a crane for every dollar donated, but the response was overwhelming.

“The honest truth was Myla thought she’d get like $500 dollars,” admitted Kairry.

Oldest daughter Quynh Bui said she thought the idea was creative, and like how it could share their story and still incorporate the Japanese origami tradition.

“We didn’t know if we were going to hit our goals but we’ve surpassed that by thousands!” said Quynh.

Just days in, they surpassed $4,000, and the fundraiser is still going.

“It’s just a good way to say thank you to them for everything they’ve done, and just made our lives so much easier since Leila came home from the hospital,” said Quynh, proud of her little sister.

The generous donation is touching the hearts of the foundation that helped them in the first place.

“To know that she’s doing this to make life a little easier for other families when their family has so many challenges still in front of them? There aren’t any words. There were a few tears shed in the office this morning when we saw this because these things touch you,” said Craig Smith, executive director at Executive Director at Help Fill A Dream.

For now, Mayla is saying a thank you to everyone who has contributed and she is still busy making cranes, hoping to present them and the donation to the foundation soon.

If you’d like to donate, you can find 1001 Cranes, 1 WISH on Facebook.

RELATED: Sentencing hearing underway for woman who hit 11-year-old girl in Saanich crosswalk

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