A super surprise for little hero Ty
BOY THRILLED AS HIS WISH FOR HOT TUB COMES TRUE
A BOY of nine who has a condition that causes his muscles to become weak has been the given the life-changing gift he so desperately wanted.
Ty Coates, of North Shields, suffers from Duchenne muscular dystrophy, which affects the dystrophin gene that helps keep the muscles intact – without it the muscles weaken and deteriorate. It is primarily common in young boys, with many not living past their midteens.
In a bid to ease the symptoms, Ty regularly visits the Alan Shearer Centre in West Denton, Newcastle, to use the pool, which helps him with his muscles and keeps them warm.
But, the centre is two bus trips away from his family home and his mum, Sarah Coates, says the benefits are short-lived. After hearing about the Make A Wish Foundation, Ty asked for a hot tub and the youngster’s dream came true when Batman, Robin and Santa stopped by with a surprise gift.
It came through The Hot Tub Warehouse, based on Norham Road in North Shields, which works with the charity to deliver spas to children who need them. Sarah said Ty, who was diagnosed with the condition in 2016, is in constant pain but the hot tub will change his life. She said. “When we were talking about this and we asked him what he wanted, he said ‘I would love a hot tub,’ and I asked him why and he said ‘because it will help with my muscles, with the vibration of the bubbles, and the heat will help.’
“At this time of year he wakes up through the middle of the night in constant pain and we have got to put him in the bath. We have got to keep him warm, basically because his muscles hurt all the time.”
The youngster was given the surprise of his life when he came home from school to see a hot tub in his garden.
Sarah, 35, said: “He nearly cried. I told him he needed to come home from school early for an appointment and he wasn’t very happy about it.
“He got to the door and I said, ‘I’m sorry, I lied to you’ and then he saw the hot tub and he said ‘Mum I can’t believe my wish has come true’ and started crying.”
Mark Wiszniewski, 46, who owns The Hot Tub Warehouse, said: “We work in partnership with Make a Wish Foundation to deliver spa pools to really deserving ill children, to benefit their health and recuperation. This is the 100th one we’ve done for Make a Wish.”
Reporter