Meet Drea
Drea loves ice cream, cotton candy, and can’t wait to become a princess!
A Letter from Drea’s family:
On January 17, 2019, our lives changed in a matter of minutes. Our baby girl, Drea had been not feeling well for months: constant nausea, headaches and dizziness. We had taken her to the doctor several times and after two emergency room visits, a CT scan confirmed our worst nightmare: Drea had a tumour inside the 4th ventricle of her brain.
We were told that surgery was inevitable and on January 28, 2019, after hours of tears and uncertainty, we learned the surgery was a success. Surgeons were able to remove 100% of Drea’s tumour. We were over the moon and so happy - Drea was finally on the road to recovery.
Unfortunately, just days later on February 1st, 2019, our world came crashing down once again. The doctors diagnosed Drea with an aggressive form of brain cancer: Medulloblastoma Group 3 …READ MORE
“There are no words to describe the feelings and emotions that go through your body
as those words come out of the doctor’s mouth. In the coming days we quickly realized
that Drea was headed into the fight of her life.”
BDI helps The Dream Factory put local family on “Cloud Nine” with new signature ice cream cone.
For 5 year old Drea, nothing beats cotton candy and ice cream. It’s a special treat that has come to represent a small dose of fun during an otherwise difficult time.
This past January, the Pepe family was turned upside down when they learned that Drea, their youngest daughter, had an aggressive form of brain cancer.
“It’s been a really rough couple of months, and there is a lot of uncertainty ahead,” says Drea’s mom, Mandy, “We know that Drea is in for a long, hard battle, so we’re trying to focus on keeping things as light and fun as we can. Talking with her about The Dream Factory and the excitement around her dream come true has been a big part of that.”
Pictured: Drea is all smiles after a recent visit to the BDI.
The Dream Factory and the Bridge Drive In (BDI) both love to bring joy to families in Winnipeg and across Manitoba. In 2019, we are coming together to make Drea’s dream come true in the sweetest way possible!
That Dream is for Drea to receive the royal treatment and become a princess at Disney’s Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique
When a dream comes true for a child battling a life-threatening illness, that child and their family get to leave behind some of the stresses of tests, treatments and appointments. For their whole Dream Experience - they are walking on cloud nine.
That’s why the BDI is thrilled to launch a brand new specialty cone this season - the “Cloud Nine” - with all proceeds supporting Drea’s dream come true.
Pictured:: The Cloud Nine is the newest sweet treat from BDI - all in support of The Dream Factory!
The Cloud Nine is the BDI’s interpretation of a dream ice cream cone. Vanilla ice cream dipped in cotton candy syrup, wrapped in a cloud of cotton candy and topped with sprinkles, of course.
“The BDI has always been a spot for families to spend quality time together. When we heard Drea’s story, we knew we wanted to do our part to make sure they had that same opportunity for quality time together during a really difficult period in their lives,” says Justin Jacob, owner of BDI.
A portion of the proceeds from every Cloud Nine sold will help support The Dream Factory and Drea’s dream come true. The BDI hopes to raise $10,000 over the course of the summer and bring a dream to life right here in our community!
Cloud Nine in The Media:
