A Tulsa Business And Make A Wish Team Up To Grant A Wish

A Tulsa business and an area charity team up to make one Tulsa teenager's wish come true Thursday. The 17 year old has a rare, chronic condition that could threaten his life. But he's not letting

Thursday, July 13th 2006, 10:15 am

By: News On 6

A Tulsa business and an area charity team up to make one Tulsa teenager's wish come true Thursday. The 17 year old has a rare, chronic condition that could threaten his life. But he's not letting that stand in his way.

News on 6 reporter Ashli Sims has his story.

Shane Gaddy looks like your typical 17-year-old. You'd never know this high school senior and starting point guard has been seriously ill since birth. Shaneâ€™s mom Tina: "by the age of 7 he had three sinus surgeries, his tonsils and adenoids out, tubes in his ears and a breathing machine four times a day."

Shane was diagnosed with Common Variable Immunodeficiency, which means only about half of his immune system works. He gets sick easier and stays sick longer than most people. The Gaddy's had a cousin who died from the disease at 16.

Shaneâ€™s dad, Mitch: "when you have your baby you're only baby diagnosed with some thing like that itâ€™s terribly scary."

The Gaddy's say Shane's condition is kept under control with monthly treatments to restore antibodies which are disease fighting cells to his blood. The Make a Wish Foundation found out about Shane's fight to lead a normal life and teamed up with Cox Communications to make his wish come true.

Shane only wished for a laptop, but his sponsors went above and beyond, loading him up with a brand new desk, iPod, printer, digital camera, the list goes on and on. Shane Gaddy: "shocked took me a while to open it all but itâ€™s a nice surprise though very nice.â€

Tim Tippit with Cox Communications: "Shane is a great kid with a wonderful attitude that most of us could learn a lot from. And by us being a part of it just makes the whole day very special for everyone involved."

Shane Gaddy says he wanted those high-tech gadgets, so he will be prepared for college and able to take advantage of all higher education has to offer. Oklahoma's Make a Wish Foundation has granted more than 1,300 wishes over the last two decades.