* Kids' News
Robby Nicosia, Aiken, South Carolina, gets a really close look at the teeth of ‘Stan’, the second largest T-rex ever found. Robby visited the WDC in June as part of the Make-A-Wish program. The WDC and Make-A-Wish groups in South Carolina and Wyoming worked together to make his wish come true.
DINO-WISH COMES TRUE FOR AIKEN KID
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If a fairy godmother could make one wish come true, what would you wish for? Nine-year-old Robby Nicosia thought about that a lot before making a wish. He even checked out adventure travel on the internet. Finally he found it: He wanted most of all to go on a dinosaur dig and visit Yellowstone Park. It seemed a pretty big wish to him. Wyoming was a far-away spot on the map to Robby, who lives in Aiken, South Carolina. |
Robbie's "fairy godmother" was the Make-A-Wish Foundation in South Carolina, assisted by the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Wyoming and The Wyoming Dinosaur Center of Thermopolis. "Make-A-Wish contacted us and asked if we'd donate to make Robbie's dream come true," said Patty Stegman, WDC office manager. "Of course we wanted to help." |
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Make-A-Wish Foundation is a not-for-profit program that grants wishes to children under the age of 18 who suffer from life-threatening illnesses. Last year, they granted 5700 wishes throughout the United States. Robbie was diagnosed with a brain tumor last year. "It was a rough year for him," said his mother, Susan Nicosia. "But he's doing so well, and we were so excited to be able to make the trip. He's looked forward to it so much." Robbie's mother and father, Dale, and his two younger sisters, Allison, 7, and Shelby, 5, traveled with him. |
Only one thing marred Robbie's adventure: it rained on the day he was scheduled to dig for dinosaur bones on the Warm Springs Ranch with the WDC staff. It did not let up the second day. Instead, Robbie got to work with the paleotechnicians in the laboratory, making a cast of a real raptor claw. "It was neat," he said. "And I get to keep it." "He's had so much fun," said Susan, "just to get to see the dinosaurs in the museum and to talk and work with the staff here, he's had a great time." The Wyoming chapter of Make-A-Wish has been in operation 12 years and has granted about 125 wishes, according to Lynn Stovall, Casper, spokesperson for the chapter. "We figured out that we grant a wish about every 19 days. Sometimes kids want a puppy or a swing set or a trip to Disney World. Whatever it is, if it brings a little joy, it's worth the effort." |