First ‘Sparrow’ continues legacy on High Desert

Tristan Saldana is in eighth grade. He is 14 years old. He likes to swim and play with cars. He also was born with Down syndrome, and he is this year’s “Sparrow” for Cascade Middle School.

About 900 students have the opportunity to help one of their own through Sparrow Club USA. It’s a program that helps families with children in need.

“There’s a lot of children out there with stuff going on that you might not understand right off the bat if you just see them,” Roberto Saldana, Tristan’s father, said Friday.

Tristan has an assortment of medical needs. He has common issues that go along with being born with Down syndrome.

Aside from those, he was born with celiac disease, meaning he can’t eat gluten. He’s lost 50 percent of his hearing in both ears and wears hearing aids. He can’t speak, so he communicates through limited sign language.

He was also born with gallstones and has since had two surgeries to remove some of his organs.

Tristan is a happy boy, but he requires medical attention — and those bills can add up.

“(The school was) willing to adopt Tristan as their sparrow, and then we bring along a company to provide seed money,” said Michael Leeland with Sparrow Club USA — and the original Sparrow, 22 years ago.

Leeland asked the middle schoolers to please stand up if they were willing to do one hour of community service for Tristan.

Not a single student stayed seated.

“Oh, it makes you want to cry, to see other kids stepping up to help other kids,” Saldana said.

For every hour of volunteer work finished, Les Schwab will pay $10 into Tristan’s Sparrow fund. That money will go toward any bill that is not covered by insurance, medical travel costs and more.

“It’s about rallying around that family and showing them that they’re not alone,” Leeland said.

Leeland knows very well how much of a difference that support can make.

When he was a young child, living in Washington state, he was diagnosed with leukemia. His father, a teacher, and his mother were at a loss for money to pay for a bone marrow transplant — as his father’s insurer wouldn’t pay for the $200,000-plus procedure.

A generous student gave his father $60, sparking what Leeland calls a “wildfire of generosity.” Other kids at Michael’s school rallied to do community service, and the money was raised.

In his case, the money saved his life. Now, he and his family continue to give back.

In fact, Michael Leeland not only survived, he’s now moved to Central Oregon, to work as a spokesman for Sparrow Clubs, the Bend-based organization inspired by his own life-saving story.

But the focus on Friday wasn’t on that long-ago story with a happy outcome. It was on Tristan, the school’s new Sparrow — as all agreed it should be.

“A lot of them know Tristan but truly don’t know his whole story.” Saldana said. “It’s hard to absorb it all.”

What many do know just by looking at Tristan is that he’s a usually happy kid. He is surrounded by a loving family, and now 900 people who are personally committed to helping him out.

“You’re doing great,” Saldana said in a message to his son. “Everything is going to be better all the time. If you ever need anything, just signal what you need and I’ll help you. I’ll do it for you.”

The only thing Tristan signaled Friday, though, was thanks.

Sparrow Club schools adopt a new child in medical crisis each year. To learn more: http://www.sparrowclubs.org/