October 7, 2009
Dream come true
Teenager granted wish to hunt bear
By Kristen J. Kubisiak
[email protected]
A 13-year-old Door County hunter got his first bear last month, and it was no small feat.
Ben Junion of Jacksonport shot a 100-pound black bear Sept. 27 in Lakewood.
In addition to the challenges commonly associated with the hunting experience, Ben, the son of Jim and Arlene, faced his own personal challenge: hunting with muscular dystrophy.
Muscular dystrophy is a group of genetic, degenerative diseases primarily affecting voluntary muscles. Ben is afflicted by the most severe form of the disease — Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
For many years, the disease limited Junion's participation in his family's hunting excursions. Then, earlier this year, he learned about the United Special Sportsman Alliance Inc.
USSA is a nonprofit "dream-wish" granting charity that specializes in sending children and veterans with life-threatening illnesses and disabilities on the outdoor adventure of their dreams.
The organization made Ben's dream come true last month, when it equipped him with a hunting guide and a special rifle to go out on his first bear hunt.
"I used a joystick to aim the rifle, then sucked on a tube (attached to the rifle) to get the gun to fire," Ben said.
The rifle also was equipped with a special camera, instead of a tiny scope, to help Ben identify his target.
But it wasn't just the gun and the guide that USSA provided to make sure Ben had a banner hunting experience. The organization also secured a hotel room for his family, and the bear tag necessary for the hunt — both donated.
Although his family couldn't be with him during the hunt, they waited anxiously at a nearby hotel to receive a call from the guide saying Ben shot a bear.
"In a way, it was as if they were all there with him in the blind," said Brigid O'Donoghue, CEO and founder of USSA. After O'Donoghue learned Ben shot his bear, she contacted the man responsible for donating his bear tag.
"I am the lucky lady who gets to call these people and tell them, 'Your kid got a bear,' and they are just as excited as if it was their own child," O'Donoghue said.
Getting bear tag donations is no small feat either, as hunters wait as many as 10 years to get their tags.
After a child gets a bear, O'Donoghue finds a local taxidermist willing to donate their services.
"The nice thing about (USSA) is we don't just grant a wish and forget about our children. We continue to grant wishes," O'Donoghue said. "That way, they continue to have something to look forward to."
And Ben is looking forward to his next outing — a deer hunt.
"It's just been such a great experience — for Ben and for all of us," Arlene Junion said.
Eventually, O'Donoghue said, it is her hope that when children like Ben grow up, they will want to be guides for the next generation of children.
"There is no greater peace than being in the outdoors," O'Donoghue said. "Children have told me stories about being in the house and being confined or in classrooms with other children making fun of them. When they are outside, they experience unbelievable peace in their hearts. They really enjoy being there, seeing the wild animals, feeling the sun shining on their faces. It's really special."
For information about participating in a hunt or volunteering with USSA, visit www.childswish.com.
Dream come true
Teenager granted wish to hunt bear
By Kristen J. Kubisiak
[email protected]
A 13-year-old Door County hunter got his first bear last month, and it was no small feat.
Ben Junion of Jacksonport shot a 100-pound black bear Sept. 27 in Lakewood.
In addition to the challenges commonly associated with the hunting experience, Ben, the son of Jim and Arlene, faced his own personal challenge: hunting with muscular dystrophy.
Muscular dystrophy is a group of genetic, degenerative diseases primarily affecting voluntary muscles. Ben is afflicted by the most severe form of the disease — Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
For many years, the disease limited Junion's participation in his family's hunting excursions. Then, earlier this year, he learned about the United Special Sportsman Alliance Inc.
USSA is a nonprofit "dream-wish" granting charity that specializes in sending children and veterans with life-threatening illnesses and disabilities on the outdoor adventure of their dreams.
The organization made Ben's dream come true last month, when it equipped him with a hunting guide and a special rifle to go out on his first bear hunt.
"I used a joystick to aim the rifle, then sucked on a tube (attached to the rifle) to get the gun to fire," Ben said.
The rifle also was equipped with a special camera, instead of a tiny scope, to help Ben identify his target.
But it wasn't just the gun and the guide that USSA provided to make sure Ben had a banner hunting experience. The organization also secured a hotel room for his family, and the bear tag necessary for the hunt — both donated.
Although his family couldn't be with him during the hunt, they waited anxiously at a nearby hotel to receive a call from the guide saying Ben shot a bear.
"In a way, it was as if they were all there with him in the blind," said Brigid O'Donoghue, CEO and founder of USSA. After O'Donoghue learned Ben shot his bear, she contacted the man responsible for donating his bear tag.
"I am the lucky lady who gets to call these people and tell them, 'Your kid got a bear,' and they are just as excited as if it was their own child," O'Donoghue said.
Getting bear tag donations is no small feat either, as hunters wait as many as 10 years to get their tags.
After a child gets a bear, O'Donoghue finds a local taxidermist willing to donate their services.
"The nice thing about (USSA) is we don't just grant a wish and forget about our children. We continue to grant wishes," O'Donoghue said. "That way, they continue to have something to look forward to."
And Ben is looking forward to his next outing — a deer hunt.
"It's just been such a great experience — for Ben and for all of us," Arlene Junion said.
Eventually, O'Donoghue said, it is her hope that when children like Ben grow up, they will want to be guides for the next generation of children.
"There is no greater peace than being in the outdoors," O'Donoghue said. "Children have told me stories about being in the house and being confined or in classrooms with other children making fun of them. When they are outside, they experience unbelievable peace in their hearts. They really enjoy being there, seeing the wild animals, feeling the sun shining on their faces. It's really special."
For information about participating in a hunt or volunteering with USSA, visit www.childswish.com.
