Old Town woman with cancer has her wish come true

Some volunteers scurried around outside the house in Old Town on Tuesday afternoon, picking up construction materials and sweeping the walkway. Others were inside the home lighting candles and asking visitors to please take off their shoes before entering.

The volunteers wanted to make sure everything was in its place before the Barclay family arrived at the site.

Sonya Barclay, a 35-year-old Old Town woman who has terminal cancer, had hoped for a new house for her family and mentioned her dying wish to some friends. She and her husband, Jeff Barclay, suspected their old trailer had mold problems that were making her four children sick, and the frame of the trailer was also starting to buckle.

Jen Dudley, Lana Phillips and Brandi Folsom, three women whom Sonya had met either as a youngster or through her own children, got together to coordinate fundraising for a new home and went to local television station WABI, which aired the family’s story. It didn’t take long for donations and offers of help to flow in.

It took about 400 volunteers, donations from 24 local companies, and contributions from dozens of individuals to bring down the Barclays’ old trailer and put up the new single-story, four-bedroom, two-bath house on the same piece of land. The trailer was knocked down about three weeks ago. After a new foundation was poured, the first wall was put up May 18.

Nine days later, the family had a new home, ready for them to move in. The Barclays got their first look Tuesday at the bright yellow house with about 30 friends, family and volunteers, many of whom were as teary eyed as Barclay herself.

As she has been through most of the process, Sonya Barclay struggled to find the right words even after touring the home. She seemed awed at not only the house, but also the generous efforts of her friends and family.

“There’s a lot of love in it,” she said, sitting at the kitchen table with her walker and an oxygen tank nearby. The 35-year-old was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004 and the disease has spread to her bones, liver and part of her lungs.

On Tuesday, the Barclays were driven in a limousine to the Bennoch Road house. The children and Jeff had seen the outside of the home during the construction, but it was the first time for Sonya, who had been in the hospital since May 12 after a lung procedure. She gingerly got out of the white stretch SUV and into a wheelchair while staring at the home. The crowd yelled, “Welcome home!” as she waved and responded with a “Thank you.”

Barclay was wheeled up a ramp which led to the porch overlooking a backyard with new swing sets and jungle gyms, and a new above-ground pool. The family then went inside for the first time.

After marveling at the stainless steel appliances and granite countertops in the kitchen, and the large couch and flat screen television in the living room, Sonya Barclay got out of her wheelchair and switched to a walker and the family, followed by an entourage of friends, trooped into the hallway to get a look at the bedrooms. First up was a pink-and-purple room for the Barclays’ 5-year-old daughters Madyson and 4-year-old MacKenzie to share. There were lots of girlie touches like bows, gauzy draping and stuffed animals.

Next came daughter Logan Leonard’s bedroom. It turned out just as the 11-year-old had dreamt – the children were allowed to give some input in the decor – with stripes and bubbles in pink and orange painted on the off-white walls. She collapsed into her stepfather’s arms when she saw the decor.

“I’ll paint stripes for the rest of my life for those two seconds,” said family friend and volunteer Kathi McPhee, who watched the scene from the hallway.

Derek, the Barclays’ 8-year-old son, picked a jungle theme for his room. His collection of elephant figures sat on a dresser.

The goal for Sonya and Jeff’s room was to achieve a sense of tranquility, Folsom said earlier in the afternoon. The colors are creamy white and soft green, with a sky blue bathroom. There a CD of ocean sounds was playing and Sonya’s collection of cherub figurines was placed on shelves.

The bedroom is the only air-conditioned room in the house. Doctors have recommended Sonya stay in a cooler room as she recovers from her lung procedure.

There is also a kids’ bathroom, a small luxury for a family of six used to just one bathroom.

A few things from the trailer made it into the new home. One of those items was the dog bed, which is in the master bedroom, for family pet Barclay, a large Akita-chow mix.

The volunteers left nothing undone. In fact, it seemed as if the family had been living there for years.

There was milk and orange juice in the refrigerator. The bedding was freshly washed. The television was tuned to a soap opera. The table was set. The children’s art projects were hanging from the walls.

“This is more than a dream come true, isn’t it, sweetheart,” Barclay said while hugging a sniffling, emotional Logan.

Later in the afternoon, the family got another surprise. There were five kayaks, one for each child and another for Jeff and Sonya, placed on the side of the house.

The news kept getting better – Jeff Barclay got word Tuesday that an anonymous donor volunteered to pay for Jeff’s tuition at the University College of Bangor. He currently works part time at Eastern Maine Development Corp. while he helps care for Sonya, but would like to earn a degree to eventually get a full-time job.

There are a few minor touches left to do on the house, including the installation of some door handles and some railings on the deck. The Barclays, however, had already started to make themselves at home. As a crowd mingled in the kitchen, Sonya Barclay peeled an orange at the table, while the children changed into pajamas that had been left as presents for the first night in their new house.

“I can officially call it home,” Logan said.

jbloch@bangordailynews.net

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