Lexington Dream Factory grants camper wish for local teen with chronic illness

LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC36 NEWS NOW) – A Lexington nonprofit helped make a teenager’s dream come true this week by surprising her with something that will allow her to travel more comfortably with her family.

The Lexington Dream Factory granted 17-year-old Amelia Osborne her dream of having a camper.

The Dream Factory is a volunteer-run nonprofit that grants dreams to children with critical and chronic illnesses.

Amelia was born with a syndrome that has developed as she has grown older. Her mother, Andrea Osborne, says Amelia often becomes sick when staying in hotel rooms while traveling.

Andrea says her daughter first learned about the Dream Factory several years ago but reminded her mother about the organization again recently as her birthday approached.

“And she was like, I love to travel,” Andrea said. “She said if we had a camper, then I wouldn’t be anxious. I wouldn’t feel like I was going to get sick if I could have my own space to stay. And she asked, ‘Do you think that could be a possibility?’ But never did we ever dream it would be an actual thing. It still seems like a dream come true to us. This will create so many memories and I was just so happy to be able to do it.”

Dream Factory board member Jackie Lemieux says making Amelia’s dream happen required a lot of effort and was a first for the organization.

The family says they plan to start a blog so others can follow along with their travel adventures in the new camper.

Anyone interested in learning more about the Lexington Dream Factory or supporting its mission can visit lexingtondreamfactory.org.