A young Emporian’s wish came true Sunday, through the generosity the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Kansas in Wichita.
On Monday, 10-year-old Faraj couldn’t stop smiling as he rode his new motorized car around the driveway and through the yard of his home. He’d bought it the day before, and its battery needed to charge 24 hours before he could use it. By the time he got home from his fourth-grade class at Village School, it was ready to ride, and he was more than happy to ride it.
Inside the house, he had a new television set for his room, a guitar, a CD player, a DVD and some other toys. During the shopping spree, he’d also thoughtfully purchased a large Sponge Bob Square Pants toy for his 2 1/2-year-old brother, Yazan.
Faraj, whose family has asked their surname not be used, has been diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a genetic degenerative disease that primarily affects voluntary muscles, such as heart and lungs. He has limited mobility and usually uses a wheelchair.
Faraj had made a wish for a shopping spree to buy toys and electronics. He and his family arrived at the Topeka Toys R’ Us store Sunday morning and began shopping.
“He was very determined,” said Eric Miller of Topeka, a volunteer who serves as wishgranter for the foundation. “We were doing everything we could to keep up with him.”
Miller said that when he interviewed for the Make-A-Wish shopping spree, Faraj had been specific about what he wanted. Miller, as a wishgranter, completed the paperwork and made arrangements for the outing, which included limousine service.
“There’s a heck of a lot of paperwork involved with it,” Miller said, and Faraj’s doctor needed to approve the plan.
“Faraj stayed true to what he told us he wanted when we initially met with him back in February,” he said. “The things that he said he wanted, the big-ticket items, was that he wanted some kind of car that he could ride on and he also wanted a TV.”
He went home with those and more.
Later, he was taken by a Nites Transportation Service limousine to Best Buy to shop for electronic equipment.
A stop at Chuck E Cheese’s for food and games ended the day’s activities.
It was a day Faraj will remember. He said he felt excited as he prepared to start shopping and he beamed as he mentioned items he’d been able to purchase with the $1,750 budget he’d been allowed.
Faraj was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy when he was 7 years old, soon after he and his mother, Foddie, came to the United States to join her husband, Essam.
Foddie said that Faraj’s development had seemed normal until shortly before they moved here. She began to notice that his movements were not quite what she thought they should be, and his symptoms began to worsen.
They took Faraj to Dr. Brent Hrabik, who suspected a brain tumor or muscular dystrophy and sent the family to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo., to have the youngster examined. The diagnosis was Duchenne, a disease that typically surfaces between 5 and 7 years of age.
“I didn’t hear about this disease Duchenne, and unfortunately, there is no cure,” she said.
Faraj now uses a wheelchair much of the time; at home, he crawls on his hands and knees to go from one room to another.
“He was walking and running, everything,” Foddie said, remembering an earlier time. “Now, he can crawl, but maybe after one year, he cannot.”
But Faraj is making the most of what he is able to do. He enjoys school, watching Naruto on the Cartoon Network, and DVD movies. He looks forward to playing the guitar — and there’s always the motorized car to ride.
“It was a very generous gift for him,” said Essam, “and it made him very happy.”
Make-A-Wish® Foundation of Kansas is a non-profit organization that grants single, favorite wishes of Kansas children, ages 2 1/2 to 18, who suffer from life-threatening illnesses or medical conditions.