Ready, set, shop

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This article was published 02/11/2015 (3736 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Max Bannister is likely to have a birthday to remember.

The four-year-old south St. Vital resident and his family will take part in an awe-inspiring shopping spree on Nov. 10 at Toys “R” Us at 1910 Pembina Hwy. As it happens, Max turns five on Nov. 8.

During the spree, the Bannisters — which include Max’s older brother, Will, his mom, Liz, and his dad, Kent — will roll up their sleeves and participate in the 3-Minute Dash event, when they will have the opportunity to fill a shopping cart with as many toys as possible in a three-minute time frame.

The dash is organized by the Starlight Children’s Foundation Canada and donated by Toys “R” Us, and awarded to seriously ill children in six Canadian cities, including Winnipeg. Starlight children and their families were randomly selected from each city as part of a contest held earlier this year when applicants were asked to share the details of their care journey.

Kent said Max was born with rare genetic conditions that have led to lots of health issues in his young life to date, which required him to undergo surgery at just six months old to repair eight holes in his heart. Max also developed scarring in his trachea, which has required more than 20 surgeries to repair, and had a tracheotomy at one point to help his breathing. He was also born with a club foot, which was fixed early on.

Despite these challenges, Max has a passion for cars and loves trips to the park on his bike. Kent said he also has a toy shopping cart, which he pushes around the house. This training, of course, will come in handy for Max on Nov. 10.

“Max also has some developmental issues and some speech difficulties, but since he’s learned to walk he’s been running around the house like a maniac,” Kent said with a laugh.

While he’s not sure of the exact rules of the dash yet, Kent said Max and Will are familiar with the layout of the store and have done “a little bit of scoping out,” in preparation.  

“It should be a fun day. It’s nice for Max and we’re thrilled to be given this opportunity, which is greatly appreciated.”