Published: August 06, 2008 04:39 pm            

The great outdoors

Brownsburg boy receives unusual gift from Make-A-Wish Foundation

BROWNSBURG — The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants one wish to a child with a life-threatening condition every 40 minutes nationwide.

And the possibilities are almost endless.

Many children choose trips to Disney World, meeting their favorite athlete, or the chance to become a police officer for a day.

But Brownsburg resident Dustin Warren wanted something different.

The 14-year-old was diagnosed with bone cancer last September and has since underwent 18 chemotherapy treatments—the latest of them on June 30.

When contacted by the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Dustin—a self-described outdoorsman—wished for a pop-up camper for his family.

“I wanted a camper because it’s something you can keep,” he said. “With that, you can take a lot of trips instead of just one.”

Along with the camper, Dustin received three fishing poles, a tackle box, artificial baits, and several outdoor games.

Dustin’s mother, Charlotte Taylor, said the family has several Indiana destinations in mind, including Raccoon Lake, McCormick’s Creek, and Turkey Run State Park.

“At first, he was thinking about wishing for a trip to Hawaii,” Taylor said. “I was excited, thinking ‘mom’s going to Hawaii’, but I know he wanted something that would last longer, so he picked a camper. He loves it, he’s just a total outdoorsman.”

Dustin said when he’s not out riding his bike, he loves to fish. His biggest catch is a foot-long catfish, and he experiments with different kinds of bait such as worms, hot dogs, and Slim Jims.

The camper wish isn’t the only one Dustin has had granted.

Last week, the youngster and his family received the chance to get up close and personal with an Indianapolis Colts player.

As part of Gary Brackett’s Impact Foundation, Dustin traveled to Holiday World with the Colts linebacker where they rode a roller coaster and had lunch.

Dustin’s family also spent the night at a nearby hotel in West Baden Springs, Ind.

“They only picked a couple kids from Riley to go with Gary Brackett,” Taylor said. “I think they pick the older kids because they generally understand more about professional football players and who they are.”

Back at home, Dustin is enjoying his summer watching television, drawing “Simpsons” characters, and riding his bike. Because he was constantly in the hospital for treatments, the youngster missed his eighth grade year, but he said he is excited to enter the halls of Brownsburg High School this fall as a freshman.

kevin.leibrock@flyergroup.com

        

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