Nervous chatter rose and fell inside the Warners’ Stellian appliance store on Jordan Parkway in West Des Moines.
At the back of the store, Make-A-Wish Foundation coordinators on Wednesday, June 17, shuffled the family of 18-year-old Zander Smith into an alcove filled with kitchen appliances, where they eagerly waited for the guest of honor to arrive.
Zander Smith of Medora was 7 when he was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis type 1, which forms tumors on the nervous system, growing on anything from nerves, to the spinal cord to the brain, according to the Mayo Clinic. Benign at first, the tumors have the potential to turn cancerous.
In Zander Smith’s case, the disease progressed quickly, his mother, Kimberly Smith, said.
“One day he was fine,” she said. “The next day, he was like, ‘my back hurts,’ and then within the next week, he couldn’t stand.”
Zander Smith’s tumors aren’t cancerous so far, but he has undergone two spinal surgeries since his diagnosis, and has four titanium rods supporting his spine. His mother says he is vigilant, constantly watching for any new tumors that may appear.
“He sees an eye doctor regularly, because if he develops more (tumors) on his optic nerves, he’ll go blind,” she said.
But, she said, “if they see something starting to grow, they can take care of it pretty quickly.”
Despite everything her son has been through, Kimberly Smith says he’s “a trooper.” The teenager loves to fish, mow the lawn and fix the vehicles the Smith family keeps on their property.
“He just tinkers,” Kimberly Smith said. “And we’re happy to see him go out and tinker for as long as he can.”
The wish reveal was an emotional experience for all involved, including Jesse Rittenhouse of Walter Roofing, who had partnered with Make-A-Wish to grant Zander Smith his desire: a new Polaris RANGER 1000 utility task vehicle.
“You inspire us,” Rittenhouse said, as Zander Smith stood beside the vehicle, surrounded by family. “You inspire everyone here. Keep up the strong fight.”
Rittenhouse and his wife, Shelease, have been working with Make-A-Wish since February.
“It’s just an overwhelming feeling of joy to be involved in something like this,” Rittenhouse said. “It’s the reason why we wake up. It’s an honor just to be in (Zander’s) presence, let alone to be able to gift him something like this.”
Zander Smith won’t be the only person in Iowa whose wish will be granted this summer.
“He is one of 30 wishes we’re gonna grant in June alone,” said Natalie Brecht, Make-A-Wish Iowa’s Director of Revenue. “Summertime is really busy for us; we call it the Summer of Wishes.”
About 280 children in Iowa are waiting for their wishes to be granted at any given time, Brecht said. Zander Smith is now a part of a network of nearly 5,000 kids whose wishes have come true.
“What do you think, young man?” someone in the crowd asked Zander Smith as he took a seat behind the wheel of the side-by-side.
Zander Smith smiled slightly before replying: “It’s amazing, it feels so nice.”
Kimberly Smith smiled, too, when recalling the moment.
“I know he’s super, super excited about it,” she said. “He might not show it, but I think he cracked up there a little bit at the end.”
Though her son had been involved in the planning process, Kimberly Smith said she and her husband worked hard to keep the reveal a secret, even hiding it from their youngest sons.
Despite the fact that they had found out about the vehicle’s arrival at the same time as their older brother, the younger boys were already clamoring for a ride before Zander Smith had even put the key in the ignition.
Before long, everyone gathered in the parking lot was smiling in a moment not soon forgotten.
Norah Judson is a reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach her at njudson@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa teen Zander Smith gets a great surprise from Make-A-Wish
Reporting by Norah Judson, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Norah Judson, Des Moines Register | USA TODAY Network
