'She's very special': 11-year-old cancer survivor uses Make a Wish to help vulnerable Edmontonians

A young philanthropist is showing others that young people can make a big difference.

Asia Gladue is an 11-year-old cancer survivor from Valleyview and a recipient of the Make a Wish Foundation.

Her wish – to help others the way others had helped her when she was sick.

"Even when we were in the hospital, she was always wanting to look after the other people that shared the room with her," said her grandmother Polly Hamelin. "To make sure they were okay and taken care of, and if they needed anything.

"She always had that and she's very special."

Gladue was diagnosed with a rare brain cancer when she was two years old. Now 11, she's spent years dreaming up what to ask for from Make a Wish.

"My wish was to go to Graceland and see Elvis Presley, to snoop in his stuff actually," Gladue said.

That dream changed when she visited Edmonton in July and got lost downtown with her dad.

"When I looked at Hope Mission, I seen a bunch of homeless people and I said I had to help these people," Gladue said.

So, instead of going to Graceland, the 11-year-old went to a warehouse in Acheson where she helped grab groceries for the Hope Mission.

The next day, she toured the mission's Tegler Youth Centre, packed food hampers and families and crafted Christmas cards to be handed out to Hope Mission clients over the holidays.

"No one would have thought anything less of her if she had gone on a trip," said Kevin Wiebe from the Hope Mission. "But instead she's choosing to do something truly remarkable and incredible for people going through so much."

The Make a Wish Foundation has been granting wishes in Alberta for 40 years, but it only recently added the I Wish to Give category.

"In northern Alberta, Asia is our fifth give-back wish in our history, and we're so excited and so proud of her for it," said Jen Garden from Make a Wish.

"Whenever we have a child who makes these sorts of wishes, it definitely takes us a little bit by surprise and it makes us think about the world in a bigger and different way."

Gladue's grandparents said the wish weekend wasn't the first time the tween has practiced philanthropy and it won't be the last.

"Throughout her younger years, she's always been giving," Polly said. "She said [every day] a person needs help and they need to know that somebody cares for them.

"And that's just the type of heart that she has, and she's looking forward to doing more."

"It makes us extremely proud of Asia and what she's doing to help people that are less fortunate," Darwin said. "It's heartwarming that an 11-year-old girl has that type of mentality and the attitude to want to give."

The family said Gladue is healthy and thriving since being treated for her brain tumor. While she will need frequent medical check ups throughout her life, her grandparents said she's feeling positive – it's a feeling they hope will inspire others.

"Hopefully this reaches other people for their commitment and desire to have the same passion," Darwin said.

"Asia puts the challenge out to everybody out there [to] donate and give to a worthy cause," Polly added. 

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Nahreman Issa