And now...some good news!

Caitlin is going much better, thanks for asking.
She just celebrated her birthday in style.
Below is the text from the Aug 14th Brantford Expositor
(Not reprinted with permission. Shhh! Don't tell!)

Perfect fit for a princess

City girl fighting cancer thrilled by special gift of Disney dress

Posted By SUSAN GAMBLE, EXPOSITOR STAFF

A little city girl who's battling the cancer monster got a big boost Wednesday with a dress worthy of a Disney princess.

Caitlin Hutson, who recently turned five, is enduring the extensive treatment necessary to combat a Wilms' tumour she was diagnosed with last January. She quickly underwent surgery to remove the tumour, which had engulfed her right kidney.

Now in the midst of 31 weeks of chemotherapy and having already undergone 13 radiation treatments, Caitlin finds solace in playing dress-up, immersing herself in the world of Disney princesses.

MUSIC FAN

But when the Help a Child Smile foundation sent the little girl to see the Disney on Ice version of High School Musical, Caitlin found a new love.

"Ever since that night she's been hooked on High School Musical," said her dad, Darren Hutson. "She sings all the songs."

"Now," said her mom, Tara, with a laugh, "we know all the words to all the songs, too."

One day, as Caitlin and her grandma, Joyce Hutson, watched the movie version of the musical, Caitlin saw the long gown worn by the character Gabriella.

"I saw that beautiful dress," Caitlin said Wednesday, "and then grandma's friend made it for me. I guess she just had the right stuff."

In reality, grandma had toiled long and hard trying to contact people at Disney and through the Disney on Ice company, Feld Entertainment, about getting a similar dress for Caitlin.

Hutson learned that a Halloween version of the dress won't be out until later this year and resigned herself to making the dress herself when she got a call from Feld Entertainment, which produces Disney on Ice shows.

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"They said, 'We'd like to make it for her'," said Hutson.

Plans for Caitlin's fifth birthday were quashed when the little girl was hospitalized for several weeks but on Wednesday she was strong enough for a small family party in her back yard.

Beth Merrick, a representative of Feld, showed up at the Hutson's Wellington Street home with a large golden box, a bouquet of balloons and a big box of cupcakes.

Caitlin allowed Expositor photographer Christopher Smith into her bedroom to take pictures of her opening the box and holding up the custom-made white gown that's covered in teardrop rhinestones and adorned with a brilliant blue sash.

But she whispered that there would be "no peeking" by the reporter and photographer when it was time for her to change. "When I'm done, you can see how it looks," she said firmly.

That's pretty typical of the self-possessed youngster, said her mom.

"She's a little girl who knows what she wants, when she wants it and how to get it."

Caitlin has endured the indignities of cancer treatment but tells her mother that she wants to be normal. She has lost her long curly brown hair and has to have a feeding tube because "I kind of stopped eating."

LABOUR OF LOVE

Accompanied by her grandma with a High School Musical tune playing in the background, Caitlin stepped out onto the deck in the gown and urged partygoers to get involved in her fantasy by playing horses and guards for her castle.

"Two boy guards please," she called out. "You guys need to stand in front of the castle and guard us. Who wants to be the horses?"

A large letter from the dressmakers came with the gift.

"Dear Caitlin, we are so sorry that you are not feeling very well," said the letter. "We have made this very special for you and even had Tinkerbell sprinkle some pixie dust on it."

Merrick said the woman behind the dress's creation was Dawna Oak, the director of costumes for Feld, who said she loves sharing the magic and joy of Disney.

"Making this dress for a beautiful little girl brought such joy to me and my team. We are honoured to have been part of providing something special to her," Oak said in an e-mail from Palmetto, Fla.

Merrick said the work had been a labour of love for Oak.

"I'm so happy to be able to deliver it. The dress looks so pretty on her."

Back in her play clothes, including a pink High School Musical hat, Caitlin held court in the yard with a chocolate cupcake in a slightly trembling hand.

"Maybe I'll wear my dress on a special day," she mused.

"Maybe on treatment graduation day?" asked her mother.

Caitlin's treatments will wrap up in mid-October as long as her health is maintained.

Meanwhile, the tiny girl's party was missing just one thing: "Don't you think it's a little quiet?" she asked coyly.

Time for more Disney music.