Timothy, center, sits surrounded by wish granters, Danny Lawray, left, and Becky Waddle, right, Nov. 8 at his home after talking about his love of Star Wars.
‘‘When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are. Anything your heart desires will come to you.” — Ned Washington.
A children’s song rings true in the heart of a young boy who made a wish for something that may seem mundane to theaverage person; for Timothy it means the world.
Significant medical problems ail his small body, but fail to dampen the seven-year-olds’ spirit. Timothy’s body suffers from Cerebral Palsy and VACTERL, a nonrandom association of genetic defects that damage the vertebra, intestines, heart, trachea, esophagus, renal system and limbs.
A lover of everything Star Wars, Timothy dreams of being able to ride the Star Wars ride in Disney World, and now can tell everyone that dreams really may come true.
After his parents’ application review and approval, wish granters from the Make-A-Wish Foundation made a house call to speak to Timothy about his wish.
‘‘Make-A-Wish Foundation is an organization setup to provide wishes for children with life-threatening illnesses,” said Danny Lawray.
‘‘The old stigma was it was geared toward kids who were terminally ill, and this was their dying wish, but the focus has changed now,” Lawray said. ‘‘Our mission now is to encourage kids to get better. It’s been amazing how a kid can be very sick prior to going on their wish and come back a different person.”
Not to anyone’s surprise, Timothy waited for Make-A-Wish’s arrival while enjoying a Star Wars movie.
Wish granters interviewed Timothy about things he likes, but the majority of those questions were ones that anyone who knew him could answer. His favorite character is from Star Wars, his favorite movie is Star Wars, his favorite cartoon is Star Wars and his favorite game is Star Wars.
To most, it may seem like a simple wish, but for this wheelchair-dependent minor, things that are simple to most people are some of his daily struggles.
Something as simple as wearing shoes was a fight for Timothy. Paula Donovan, Timothy’s mother explained to the wish granters that when Timothy was born, he had clubbed feet. Timothy was unable to wear shoes, but he was not content with that and would cry. After corrective surgery and long hospital stays, Timothy was able to slide on a pair of shoes.
‘‘We put shoes on everyday, and we take it for granted,” said Paula, who is also the president of the Exceptional Family Member Program.
Paula said after Timothy’s birth, doctors agreed he would probably not survive.
‘‘They told me he wasn’t going to make it through the night,” said Paula. ‘‘It gets hard, but he’s a blessing. Just seeing him smile sometimes makes everything worth it.”
Timothy’s wish has not yet been stamped approved, but the Make-A-Wish Foundation has already taken steps toward making his wish come true. Timothy wishes to spend Christmas in Disney World, but the date has yet to be set.
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