Young recipient of liver transplant lands family trip

By Teresa Williams

March 26, 2008 11:23 pm

— THOMASVILLE — Cupcakes, fries and toys would be enough to tempt any child.
Add in a trip to a major theme park and it is the makings of an incredible wish come true.
James Brown, 6, of Thomasville, is a recipient of Make-A-Wish Foundation’s program of granting wishes to children with life-threatening conditions.
He, his mother Shamika Brown, brother Dexter Young, 10, sisters Jamiya, 8, and Jameka Brown, 13, and aunt will be headed to Walt Disney World Saturday for seven days of fun.
“I want to go now,” James said during his send-off party at Chick-fil-A in Thomasville. “I want to see Mickey Mouse a lot and go on roller-coasters and water rides.”
Brown and his family dined on dinner donated by Chick-fil-A and cupcakes donated by Publix. They also got to look through items the foundation sent for their trip, including bags, shirts and toys.
Brown’s liver began failing in 2007 and he received a transplant. The first liver was no good, said Shamika Brown, but the second one took.
“We don’t know what caused his liver to fail,” she said. “I noticed his eyes were yellow and he was sleeping a lot and not playing much. I took him to the pediatric center and the hospital. They found out his liver was about gone and he needed a new one.”
James remembers being tired all the time.
“My mom took me to the hospital and I had stomach staples, but they took them out,” he recalled. “Someone gave me my liver because I was about to die. I’m very thankful. God healed my body and didn’t let me die.”
His brother, Dexter, is glad James is still alive. He’s also looking forward to Disney World.
Sister Jamiya said their mom spent a lot of time at the hospital with her brother. She is also glad James got a new liver and is excited about their trip.
Shamika Brown said James is doing well and has a check-up at the hospital each month in Atlanta.
“This has all been such a blessing,” she said.
The foundation, formed in 1980, has helped grant the wishes of more than 161,000 children around the world.
Make-A-Wish volunteers Barbara Barrett and Paula Sheffield of Valdosta handled Brown’s case.
“Once the foundation receives a wish application, they send volunteers to go out and visit the family,” Sheffield explained. “They fill out paperwork and talk to the wish child about their wish. Then, they send the paperwork back to the main office in Macon and work on the details. Once a wish is approved, the volunteers get to come back and give the family the items the foundation supplies to fulfill the wish.”
Only a parent, wish child, or medical professional can submit a wish to the foundation, Sheffield said.
Shamika Brown said their social worker contacted the foundation.
Sheffield said James’ wish was confirmed in December 2007 and the trip set for January, but rescheduled because James needed additional surgery.
“It’s a good feeling because you know the kids are getting to do something they’ve never experienced before,” Sheffield said. “This is my first wish granted and it is a feeling like no other. To be able to do something for someone else is a really amazing feeling.”
James and his family will stay at Give Kids the World Village, a non-profit built so children with life-threatening illnesses and their families can stay free while they visit area theme parks, Sheffield added.
Make-A-Wish took care of all the arrangements. It is fueled through donations and fund-raisers.
“It is very rewarding to work with Make-A-Wish,” Barrett, who has been a volunteer about eight years, said. “A lot of these children would never have the opportunity to go on these trips or do these things without the foundation because their families cannot afford it.
James’s mom agreed.
“We’d never have been able to do this without them,” Shamika said. “We’re so thankful.”

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