HELENA — Montana Highway Patrol troopers work everyday to keep Montana’s roads safe, but they’re also in the business of granting wishes.
The Montana Hope Project, a non profit sponsored by the Association of Montana Troopers, granted their 486th wish to Bella Hasselbach this week.
Hasselbach lives with juvenile arthritis in every joint in her body and has an immunocompromised disease which requires immune transplants twice every week.
“I have to sit there with needles and all that fun stuff, but I’m getting stable so it’s been okay,” said Hasselbach.
The high school junior’s wish is for her family to be able to go to Walt Disney World in Florida together over the holiday break.
“Besides the warm weather, I’m most looking forward to all the fun rides and just being able to relax,” she said.
Hasselbach’s younger brother was also a recipient of a Montana Hope Project wish a few years back.
She told MTN she’s so grateful for all the support, adding the Montana Hope Project and the troopers have been nothing but amazing to her family.
“It’s unbelievable,” said Hasselbach. “It’s really a lot of support that I didn’t ever imagine will ever have and it’s just really nice to know everyone’s here.”
The Montana Hope Project was started by a group of Montana Highway Patrol officers in 1984 to kids with critical illness.
More information about the organization can be found here.
This is the 13th wish they’ve granted in 2019.