| 8/23/2007 | Tyeson's Wish Fulfilled by Billy Mitchell and Others
Billy Mitchell joins Make-A-Wish Foundation in honoring Sick Youth | |
 At left is flyer from April 21, 2007 that announced the festivities for Tyeson Owenby.
Billy Mitchell helps sick boy fulfill "Wish" for Ultimate Game Room
Greenacres, Florida - World famous video gamer Billy Mitchell recently visited Tyeson Owenby, a 9-year-old boy who has Eagle Barrett's Syndrome who wanted to fulfill a Wish to own the "Ultimate Game Room."
Tyeson has been sick most of his life, afflicted with a disease that affects the urinary tract and kidney, among other things. He started thinking of asking for a Wish 2 years ago but only recently set his sights on the Ultimate Game Room.
Billy Mitchell, famous as the "Video Game Player of the Century," attended the festivities to help Tyeson fulfill his Wish.
Planned for the Ultimate Game Room were the standup arcade games Pac Man and Cruisin' USA. "Additional contents of the Ultimate Game Room," explained Debbie Dragone, a Sunny South Florida Learning Performance Consultant, "included a Mega Touch game and an Air Hockey machine. His other big favorite was a crane machine. He didn't know he was getting this and it was another great surprise. Plus, he also got an old -fashioned popcorn machine, 3 TVs for his games (Nintendo, Playstation, and Xbox) along with 3 rocker chairs with speakers in the headrest."
To accommodate the Ultimate Game Room, Tyeson's family moved out all their living room and dining room furniture to support this wish for Tyeson -- filling the house with games. Scheduled activities included a pizza party, a clown and a face painter.
Debbie Dragone notes this about Tyeson: "Tyeson is a very sensitive boy. He chose these games because he wanted to have something he could share with his 4 brothers: Jeremy, age 17, Nathaniel, age 14, Graham, age 7, and Collin, age 4. He even got the popcorn machine because it is his and his mom's favorite food and he wanted her to have something, too."
"Furthermore," adds Dragone, "Tyeson's favorite color is red. He loves the Cardinals team in baseball, so the theme of the party will be red and white.
In a thank you letter to Billy dated April 28, 2007, Debbie Dragone said:
"Dear Billy,
"On
behalf of the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Southern Florida, we would like to
extend our gratitude to you for providing our wish child Tyeson with a personal
visit as he celebrated his wish on Saturday, April 21, 2007.
"Tyeson’s
wish to have the “Ultimate Game Room” was an amazing wish in itself. Having you
visit Tyeson made the day even extra special. Thank you for giving Tyeson his
Arcade certificate, which will be hung in his game room for all to see. Thank
you for the gift of the Namco Jacket. It was very touching to pass along a
jacket that was awarded to you to Tyeson, commenting that you are passing it
along to the ‘next generation’. Finally, thank you for the case of hot sauce
you provided with a special label for Tyeson. The slogan “never give up, never”
was perfect! Thank you so much for your
kindness and generosity. Tyeson’s family will never forget you!
"It
is through the generosity of supporters like you that we are able to make
wishes come true for children with life threatening illnesses.
"A
wish for a child provides hope and strength to help them continue to fight
their battle. There are all types of
wishes: to go on a trip to a far away place only read about in books; to meet a
celebrity only seen on TV or in the movies; to have something as comforting as
a new bedroom set or to be a profession only dreamed about like a police
officer or firefighter…and for Tyeson it was the “Ultimate Game Room.” No
matter what the wish, the children are given an experience they’ll never
forget. We strive to make each wish special and hope to create lasting
memories.
"Throughout
the year, our goal is to make sure that every eligible child receives a
wish. You are making this
possible. You are helping to create
sunshine and rainbows in these children’s all too short lives.
"Enclosed,
please find a picture of you and Tyeson. Thank you again for your generosity,
your kindness and your ability to make Tyeson’s wish come true.
"Best
Wishes,
Debbie
Dragone and Charlie Martin
Wish Granters
For further information, contact:
Debbie Dragone
Sunny South Florida
Learning Performance Consultant - LPC
IBM Business Transformation Outsourcing (supporting AT&T Training)
561-282-3275
T/L 930-2029
ddragone@us.ibm.com
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