Pool Company Makes Summer Dream Come True For Girl With Father Fighting Cancer

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A stranger granted a wish for a 10-year-old girl and her father who is fighting terminal cancer.

As CBS2's Cindy Hsu reported, there was important construction going on in the backyard of the Handsman family on Friday. They've been facing tough times ever since Alan Handsman was diagnosed with blood cancer 8-months-ago. It's been especially hard on his youngest daughter Skylar.

"He's my hero," she said.

Handsman is a plumber, and has been a volunteer firefighter for nearly 24 years. His daughters were looking forward to swimming with him this summer.

The family would normally swim in the town pool, but since Alan had a stem cell transplant 3 months ago he can't be exposed to a lot of germs.

Without telling anyone, Skylar wrote a letter and emailed it to local pool companies.

She explained that her father was sick with terminal cancer, and that her father had been saving for years to get a pool for the girls.

"The money he had saved was used for the medical bills," Skylar said, "it was going to be an above ground pool, and I have $925.73. I want to give my dad this gift. I love my daddy. He came all the way to China to get me and my sister. I am heartbroken. Maybe I can work out a payment or something."

Andy Bari with Westrock Pools was blown away by the letter, and got mom on the phone.

"Well my name's Andrew from West Rock pools. Somebody's been reaching out to me. All of a sudden she yells, 'Skylar, come over here,' and she says, 'have you been trying to reach out to somebody at a pool store?' And they both broke down crying," he said.

Alan was stunned.

"Next thing I know she comes running in from her room saying 'daddy we're getting a pool, we're getting a pool,' I was just so overwhelmed that this man could be so generous to our family," he said.

The pool is going up, and so are the medical bills. A friend started a Go Fund Me account to help the family, but for not the focus is on appreciating each day.

"They're going to have a really good summer with swimming with their father. That was their biggest wish," mother Tara Handsman said.

The family said every day is a gift. The pool should be finished by Saturday.