The Walters family — Nora, Tiffany and Ryan — poses in front of the playground at Chalco Hills Recreation Area. The family is raising money to build a new playground to honor their son, Dominik, 4, who died last summer.
A new playground at Chalco Hills Recreation Area would honor 4-year-old Dominik Walters. The Papillion boy died last summer.
Ryan and Tiffany Walters with daughter Nora. The Papillion family is raising money to install a new playground at Chalco Hills Recreation Area in honor of 4-year-old son Dominik, who died last summer.
Ryan and Tiffany Walters are raising money to install a new playground at Chalco Hills Recreation Area. The playground would be in honor of their 4-year-old son Dominik, who died last summer.
Dominik Walters was itching to show off his new cannonballing skills in the lake.
The 4-year-old Papillion boy waited patiently all day, sitting through meals and an afternoon boat ride.
Finally, it was time to jump off the dock.
Dominik, who was wearing a life jacket, jumped into the nearly 4-foot-deep water of the Minnesota lake. Dad Ryan Walters stood in the lake, catching Dominik and placing him back on the dock. Mom Tiffany took videos from the dock.
“He was absolutely on cloud nine,” Ryan Walters said.
On his seventh jump, Dominik was smiling from ear to ear. But as he reached his father’s arms, Dominik went limp. He wasn’t breathing.
Ryan Walters put his son on the dock, and Tiffany Walters started CPR.
Dominik died nearly two weeks after suffering cardiac arrest while visiting family in Minnesota.
A new playground at Chalco Hills Recreation Area will honor 4-year-old Dominik Walters, who died in 2018.
His parents operated in a fog in the months after his death. They went through the motions of daily life, making sure daughter Nora, then 5 months old, was taken care of.
“Life is just kind of gray,” Tiffany Walters said. “The unimaginable thing is trying to have to live life without your child. We just take it each day, each second at a time. That’s really all we can do.”
The Walters family wanted to do something with donations they received after their son’s death. They looked into nonprofits that researched cardiac death in children, but nothing stood out.
Then they remembered one of Dominik’s favorite activities: playing at the park. They settled on purchasing a single piece of playground equipment in Dominik’s name.
But those initial plans grew, and now the family has launched a fundraising campaign to install a new playground at Chalco Hills Recreation Area, near 154th Avenue and Giles Road.
“It would be an incredible thing, not only for Dom, but for the community and all the people who use that park,” Tiffany Walters said.
The Papillion family visited Chalco Hills almost every Sunday. Ryan and Tiffany Walters would run through the wooded area, pushing Dominik in a jogging stroller. After a picnic lunch, they would let him zip around the playground.
The proposed playground includes slides, a bouncy bridge, swings and climbing areas. It also includes a nod to younger sister Nora, whom Dominik dubbed “Boon.” The playground will include themes of space and cars, two things Dominik was fascinated by, his parents said.
The estimated cost of the park is more than $265,000. A vendor is discounting the cost by about $74,000.
Ryan and Tiffany Walters, pictured with children Dominik and Nora, are raising money to install a new playground at Chalco Hills Recreation Area. The playground would honor Dominik, who died last summer.
Ryan Walters said they have raised between $40,000 and $50,000 of the goal of nearly $192,000. Funds are being collected through the Midlands Community Foundation. Through Jan. 6, the organization is matching donations.
There is no official timeline for starting work on the playground, but they would like to see it completed by fall 2020. They won’t break ground until all money is raised, Ryan Walters said.
“It’s hard to put into words what it would mean,” he said. “The reality is, we can’t build this by ourselves. The fact that people are donating absolutely blows our mind. It’s humbling. It’s amazing. It’s emotional.”
The timing of the donation works out well for Chalco Hills, which is managed by the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District. The current playground equipment is more than 20 years old, said John Winkler, general manager of the NRD.
Winkler said the NRD would contribute to the purchase and installation of the playground.
“I couldn’t think of a better way not only to honor the memory of their son, but to create a public amenity hundreds and thousands of kids can enjoy for a very long time,” Winkler said.
A roundup of inspirational stories from Midlanders with heart
There's the woman with MS who runs despite her diagnosis. The 7-year-old born without his left hand who plays baseball just like the other kids his age. The refugee who turned to Zumba to help her recover from cancer treatments. Check out their inspiring stories and others below.
Oliver Henderson plays first base waiting for some action. Without a left hand Henderson is able to adapt to the world of baseball.
Libby DiBiase runs in a 14-pound vest during a workout at CrossFit Kinesis in Gretna. This Omaha police officer uses CrossFit to keep in shape for her unpredictable job.
Jeff Strufing enjoys being able to help people during group classes at Kosama. Despite his cancer diagnosis, Strufing hasn’t let it change his lifestyle. The 46-year-old business owner, husband and father of two still works part-time as a paramedic and teaches weekly classes at three gyms. He’s done it all while undergoing chemotherapy treatments.
Margie Irfan practices bicep curls during her workout at Life Time Fitness. Iftan entered the world of bodybuilding when she was 46 years old. The Omaha woman has lost 10 percent of her body fat while maintaining the same weight — and she’s got the toned muscles to prove it.
Jack Mallett practices his tennis skills at Miracle Hill tennis courts. After deciding to quit drinking Mallett, 92, made tennis his addiction.
Michelle Graft runs on the Wabash Trace in Council Bluffs to train for her portion of the MS Run the US relay. Gaft who has MS uses running to keep the symptoms at bay.
Mary Manhart works out at the Downtown YMCA four times a week. She sees the people at the gym as her extended family.
Hadeel Haider started to exercise after being treated for Hodgkin's lymphoma, and she fell in love with Zumba. Haider now teaches Zumba class at the the Maple Street YMCA.
Melissa Kayser, left, holds Tierney, and her sister Lisa Auten, right, holds Ashlynn. Kayser had complications having children and her sister volunteered to carry children for Kayser and her husband.
Nancy Nygren works out at least three times a week to help keep off more than 65 pounds that she lost a decade ago. “She’s the perfect example of somebody who has lost a significant amount of weight and has done it the right way,” said Jennifer Yee, who leads Nygren’s boot camp class and is also an instructor in Creighton University’s exercise science program.
Tom Carney does a workout during kickboxing class. Carney used to work out so he could eat whatever he wanted. Now he understands diet is just as important as exercise.
Rik Zortman runs the name of children who have died of cancer. He has ran the name of more than 250 children since his son's death in 2009.
Katie Chipman, a 12-year-old gymnast with juvenile arthritis, practices at Airborne Academy. Chipman works to hard to compete and only misses practices if her symptoms are too severe.
Joe Reisdorff and Dan Masters grew up in the same town, attending the same church were never close until Reisdorff needed a new kidney and Masters was a match.
Jacob Oswald forgot he signed up to be a bone marrow donor until he got a call saying he was a potential match for a Nebraska baby. He went through with the procedure and more than a year later, met with recipient Alle Jilg.
A workplace accident left Leah Nixon paralyzed from the armpits down. As had to work on becoming more independent, she also worked on reconnecting with an old love: outdoor adventures.
Still recovering from a heart transplant, Rick Ganem wouldn't be able to make it to his daughter Sarah's wedding. So she brought the ceremony to his hospital room.
Since starting her weight-loss journey, Keasha Hawkins-Moore is closing in on dropping half of her starting weight — 500 pounds. During that journey, she's battled cancer, lost loved ones and strengthened her faith.
Leota "Lee" Brown suffered a stroke and two days later, the 98-year-old was back to her spunky self at home in an assisted-living facility. She's required no therapy since the stroke.
Harley Swanek had been living with an undetected heart condition for the first seven months of her life. It caused her to become unresponsive for more than 30 minutes, leading to a brain injury. Harley's back home and relearning all of her milestones.
kelsey.stewart@owh.com, 402-444-3100
Kelsey Stewart
Kelsey covers health and fitness for The World-Herald. Follow her on Twitter @kels2. Phone: 402-444-3100.
