Thursday, February 08, 2007

Getting his Wish: Belvoir boy going to Disney World

Ryan Aberl, 11, entertains his brother Shawn Aberl II, 4, by playing with action figures in their living room on Fort Belvoir. (Photo by Marny Malin)

On Valentine’s Day Shawn Aberl II will be able to be what he is — an energetic and talkative 4-year-old boy who’ll be having the time of his life at Walt Disney World with his parents and older brother, Ryan.

Being able to see Mickey Mouse and all his pals while experiencing all the amusement park has to offer may not seem like anything out of the ordinary, but for Shawn it will be.

The blonde haired, brown eyed tyke, who is the son of Staff Sgt. Jennifer and Sgt. 1st Class Shawn Aberl of Fort Belvoir, was born with popliteal pterygium, a disease that caused his fingers, toes and right leg to be webbed. Webbing was also present in Shawn’s mouth and esophagus when he born.

“It’s very, very rare,” Jennifer said as she watched her son and husband play with a pile of action figures in their Dogue Creek home. “One in a million live births have this. They’ve never seen it here at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.”

The family will visit Florida Wednesday through Feb. 20 thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, a non-profit organization that has been granting wishes to kids with serious medical conditions since 1980. To receive a wish, a child must be diagnosed with a life-threatening medical condition - a progressive, degenerative or malignant condition that has placed his or her life in jeopardy.

“We weren’t sure he’d get approved because he’s not terminal, although his condition is life threatening because there’s so many arteries and nerves involved, especially in the leg,” added Jennifer, who is assigned to DeWitt Army Community Hospital.

Jennifer contacted the foundation last summer as Shawn was undergoing a procedure that required his leg to be immobilized in a frame for eight weeks.

“His entire summer was ruined,” she said.

The Make-A-Wish foundation relies on medical professionals, parents and children themselves for referrals. Children who have reached at least 2 ½ years old and are under 18 at the time of referral who have not received a wish from another wish granting organization may be eligible for a wish. Dr. Kathleen McHale, who formerly worked as an orthopedic doctor at DeWitt Medical Center, served as the Shawn’s sponsoring physician.

“It’s important for him to get away from the doctors, the surgeries and be a little boy and hang out,” said Jennifer. “For him, it’s going to be magic.”
The Aberls, who have been married for six years and between them have five children, are expecting a daughter this summer. Tests have shown that the little girl is healthy.

The couple said they expected a healthy baby when Shawn was born in Alaska in 2003.

“The ultrasounds were fine,” Jennifer continued. “They didn’t look specifically for the condition because it is so rare. We expected a healthy baby boy.”

“We were totally blindsided,” added Shawn, who is assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company.

Since his birth, Shawn has been in the operating room 13 times and has undergone 26 medical procedures.

“He had his first surgery at 8 months to remove banding in his mouth,” explained Jennifer. “There was no way to feed him with the banding.”

The webbing that held Shawn’s legs together has been removed, as has the webbing that was between his fingers and toes.

“He handles surgery so well,” Jennifer said with a rueful smile.

The Aberls other children have had some difficulty in dealing with Shawn’s illness and time their parents devote to his care.

“The other kids have had a hard time,” noted Shawn, who added that the trip will also give Ryan a chance to have some fun.

“I’m excited,” the sixth-grader at Fort Belvoir Elementary School said.

A network of more than 25,000 volunteers enables the Make-A-Wish Foundation to work. Volunteers serve as wish granters, fundraisers, special events assistants and in other capacities, according to its Web site. Its work is financed through individual contributions, corporate donations, foundation grants, planned gifts, and chapter fees and assessments. It relies on in-kind contributions to lessen the costs of goods and service.