Nicole Martel shrieks with delight as the cool, misty air of the Cheakamus Canyon rushes past. The Whistler Mountaineer train chugs to a slower pace so that passengers in its open-air car can contemplate the mossy rocks and the rushing glacial water in the gorge below.

The six-year-old Nicole pokes her little face over the railing and flashes her partially-toothless grin. Sure, the view is beautiful, but just a few feet away, there are perfectly good railings from which to swing. She turns to the centre of the car and resumes a gleeful gymboree session with her new friend, Olivia Januszczak. The girls sing and laugh and swing around the handrails with boundless gusto.

Nicole and Olivia are two of about 30 kids riding the Mountaineer to Whistler with the Starlight Starbright Foundation, a charity that brings together seriously ill kids and their families for special days away from the stress of the hospital.

Heather Burnett, the B.C. regional coordinator with the charity, estimates the foundation touched the lives of B.C. children 44,000 times last year.

Today families from Burnaby, Richmond, Surrey, Langley, Port Moody, Vancouver and the North Shore have gathered for an adventure in Whistler. The theory is to bring together the whole families for these adventures: sick children feel pain, isolation, loneliness, but so do their loved ones, and enabling happy, healthy family experiences is part of the charity’s mandate.

These families will ride the train to Whistler, eat some ice cream, and venture to the top of Whistler Mountain. So far, the singing, laughing Nicole Martel approves.

Nicole’s five-year old brother, Griffin, suffers from an undiagnosed seizure disorder. Confined to a wheelchair, he suffers developmental delays and has been in and out of the hospital since turning two months old.

“He’s immobile. Totally dependent on us for all his care,” explains his mother, Alysone Martel from inside the passenger car.

Griffin can’t speak, but Alysone explains that he does make happy sounds and smiles when the Martels venture out with the Starlight Starbright Foundation.

“He loves to be with other children. He really lights up.”

Nicole has a ball, too, meeting new friends, taking in new sights and experiences like trips to the Vancouver Aquarium or even nights out at movies.

“Some of the things we’ve gotten to do because of him – they really make you feel special,” explains Warren Martel of the outings his family has attended through the Starlight Starbright Foundation or Canuck Place. “Not many other kids get to go for private Learjet rides; it’s an amazing opportunity.”

One of the tough things about the Martels’ family life: the future is completely uncertain for Griffin. Doctors can’t quite pinpoint how his disorder works or how it will develop as he grows. They can’t predict a life expectancy for the little boy or project the development of his motor skills.

“There’s a lot of time involved with taking care of him,” explains Warren as the Martels’ 11-month-old Spencer snoozes on his chest. “It’s totally changed our family life ... It’s tough but we’re grateful he’s still with us. He’s made us come together more as a family and we’re grateful for what we have, happy to have him because of who he is.”

Alysone sings to Griffin as Starchild, the rainbow-clad entertainer on the train, paints streaks of colour along Griffin’s cheek.

The Starlight kids are easy to spot when the train pulls in to Whistler: just look for the crowd of kids with lady bugs, dragon flies, and Spiderman logos painted on their faces.

Thanks to the melodious Starchild, a few of the parents have adopted colour and sparkles into their ensembles. Warren Martel’s goatee, much to Nicole’s delight, has taken on a bright green tint. He grins, packing up Griffin in his wheelchair while Alysone takes Nicole by the hand and carries little Spencer on her back.

“Events like this are nice because you don’t often get the chance to meet other parents who have the experience of special children,” explains Alysone as the troupe of kids, families and volunteers heads to the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory for ice cream. “It’s nice to have these special events to recognize the special lives we have.”

The other parents on the trip agree.

Sultana Mahmood, mother of eight-year-old Salma and seven-year-old Hassan explains, “This is the first time we’re able to enjoy anything with Salma. It’s the first time she’s been well enough ... we don’t get to travel or go places so much because she’s in the hospital.”

Salma and Hassan suffer from a rare condition called propionic acidemia. Both children have feeding tubes inserted directly into their stomachs, and rarely eat with their mouths.

Because of a platelet disorder the two children suffer from, they bruise and bleed easily, and small bumps can cause cranial bleeds.

Other kids their age are bigger and developing at a faster rate, so making friends can be tricky. At the Starlight Starbright Foundation, Salma and Hassan meet other kids who understand what it means to have ill health.

“It’s so much fun and we have face painting!” beams Salma.

Burnaby’s Kathleen Bennett, mother to Joey, who suffers from a chromosomal disorder and developmental delays, says trips like these are important for the parents, too. “For me it’s a connection, too. I met mums and dads who have sat in a hospital wondering ‘what’s going to happen to our child?’”

Richmond’s Debbie Bielech is a trip coordinator with the foundation. Her son Matt needed a liver transplant at 11 months. She gave half her liver to her son, and started a society called Transplant Kids, bringing together kids, families and donors at seasonal events.

“The idea of Starlight is to include the whole family,” she explains. “The effect of illness on other members of the family is very strong ... The whole family is included and everyone is as special as everyone else – walking on eggshells, living day-to-day. Those things are hard.”

The events give families the chance to “feel just like other families and children.”

Surrey’s Chris Stadnyk, also attending the trip with his family, wife Michelle, daughter Ashley, 11, and toddler Connor, adds: “It’s a very expensive trip and a lot of people couldn’t afford it. Just to get the kids out, it’s great.”

The price tag on a day like today: $200 for a return ticket on the Whistler Mountaineer ($109 for children under 12), $32 for an adult lift ticket to the top of Whistler Mountain. Add money for lunch, snacks, ice cream, gas to the train station, and the bill for a family of four quickly hits the $800 to $900 range.

On the gondola ride to the top of Whistler Mountain, Nicole pulls out a set of binoculars from her Whistler Mountaineer gift bag and surveys the slopes. She’s hoping to see a bear, but the mountain bikers will do. She informs her parents that grizzly bears can’t climb trees because they have longer, straighter claws than the tree-scaling black bear.

Alysone keeps Griffin fed and hydrated, measuring out water into a bottle that runs into the permanent feeding tube in his stomach. Griffin can’t swallow liquids.

“We’ve accepted his condition,” she explains of her son. “We’re grateful to have him and all the things he’s given us. We take it day by day and try to make the best of it.”

Warren bounces little Spencer, adding, “at the same time, day-to-day you feel sort of like an average family. But you’re not.”

After a scavenger hunt up on Whistler Mountain, the families gather back at the Whistler Mountaineer for the trip home. After seven hours of adventuring, the kids are still raring for more fun. Starchild breaks out her guitar for a singalong. Even in the executive class lounge, the sounds of the Starlight children laughing and whooping with delight drift in from the open-air car.

Faith Girvan, a nine-year-old leukemia survivor from Langley, talks about her new puppy and plans her five-year-remission party with her dad Dwayne; they’ll celebrate next June in Disneyland.

“It’s really nice for the parents to be able to talk to other parents,” explains Dwayne as the families mingle in the open-air car, watching the sunlight on Howe Sound and soaking in the warm afternoon breeze.

As the train pulls back into the station in North Vancouver, the volunteers are tired but content and the kids jog up and down the aisle of the passenger car, regaling one another with tales from the day, brandishing balloon swords, puppies and swans, courtesy of Starchild.

The Martels gather up their kids and get ready to disembark.

“Oh, I think everyone will sleep well tonight,” winks Warren, his goatee still electric green.

“I think so too,” says Alysone. They make their way along the platform, with little Nicole skipping the whole way.

Families from North Vancouver and the Lower Mainland take a ride on the Whistler Mountaineer with the Starlight Starbright Foundation for children with special needs and serious illnesses.