Make A Wish--Kyle Edition

Kyle finally made his Wish.  In a real way.

As I changed his clothes a few weeks ago he was gazing at the poster of Chase Field next to his bed--while his Arizona Diamondbacks bobbleheads and other paraphenelia gazed down upon him--and he turned his head to me, furrowed his brow, and said, "Mom.  I just want to be a real baseball player.  Can you call Make A Wish and tell them?"

That's when I knew.  THIS was his real Wish.  We had been waiting and waiting.  I suspected it would be something related to baseball, and he has made remarks about what his Wish would be over the last year since he became eligible for a Wish.

But never did he seem so thoughtful--so wistful--as when he turned his face to me and I knew deep in my heart that THIS is his Wish.  "You only get one Wish, you know.  You really wish to be a real baseball player?"  His reply was affirmative.  I consulted Chris, who agreed that this was the right decision.

I contacted Make A Wish to tell them that Kyle was ready for his interview.  Kyle--just 5 years old--maintained throughout his interview that he just wanted to be a real baseball player, so his commitment to his Wish decision was clear.  And then a Dbacks game happened to start on TV here at home while his interview was happening, and that's when the interview essentially ended.  Nothing distracts this kid from a Dbacks game.  Sometimes I wonder if the players know that there are people like Kyle depending on them to make their day by knocking one out of the park.  (Our guys do their best to do that at every at bat, I know that. And they almost always deliver!)

After further questioning, I've determined that Kyle's definition of being a "real baseball player" involves swinging a standard wooden bat at a standard ball.  He would need help to do that, but I have full confidence that Make A Wish will make it happen.

(Technically, we don't know how or if Make A Wish will or can grant his Wish, but we're on the edges of our seats to see how it all goes down.)

We need a batter, not a broken ladder. OH HI DBACKS!

Kyle hasn't been so great these last couple of months.  He's missed more than 6 weeks of school due to a bout of upper respiratory junkyness, for one.  Ultimately, we even had to bring him to Urgent Care due to an ear infection--and Urgent Care typically won't see medically fragile patients at all, but they did that day because I was just that desperate.  (kudos to our urgent care--world class, those folks.)

Today, Kyle saw our favorite orthopedic surgeon.  Unfortunately we learned that Kyle has a 21 degree spinal curvature.  This is bad news.  For now, he'll get a soft TLSO (back brace) in hopes that we can put off back surgery for a few extra years.

That's the bad news.

The good news is that we got to enjoy, again, the holiday decorations at Phoenix Children's Hospital!  Our favorite, hands down, has been the Arizona Diamondbacks Christmas tree.  It's incredibly tall (I'm guessing twenty feet?) and decorated with Dbacks ornaments, paraphenilia, and gear.  Kyle is obsessed with baseball, and the Dbacks, so he spends lots of quality time with this tree--touching it, talking to it--each time we have to go to the hospital.  Today he zoomed right over to the tree, carelessly plowing through a small crowd of folks standing around the area.  Turns out Kyle interrupted a meet and greet with Willie Bloomquist, of the Arizona Diamondbacks.  Kyle is only four years old, so has yet to memorize the Dbacks roster, but as we drove home I emphasized who he just met and he finally "got" it.  Nearly an afterthought, I asked Willie for a photo.  Kyle appears as though he couldn't have been happier if Willie had offered him a light saber (Kyle's other obsession). 

The Dbacks tree, with a little more detail (from a previous visit).

Thanks to the Dbacks organization, and to Mr. Bloomquist, for arranging to meet the kids of PCH and making a little boy's day.