The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
‘These are happy tears’
Suffering from blood disorder, teen gets man cave to lift his spirits from Make A Wish Foundation
CLINTON » Greeted by a roomful of family and friends, 13-year-old Isaac Adler walked into his very own, brand new 600-square-foot ‘man cave,’ grinning ear to ear at the finished product he helped design.
“Oh my!” he said with excitement as he entered the room. “Oh my, God. What’s? How?
“It’s overwhelming,” he told the group during the reveal of the completely remodeled space.
“Is this our house? Mom, is this our house?” Issac asked.
Granted by The Make-A-Wish Foundation, Issac’s wish came true as a result of the handiwork of several volunteers. They transformed a two-room basement space into one room where Isaac can relax and have fun with family and friends.
Issac, a seventh-grader at Jared Eliot Middle School, has severe Hemophilia A and Crohn’s disease.
“This year, 2016, was a very challenging year for Isaac’s health,” said his mother, Meredith Adler. “Pain, not able to participate in activities he usually participated in, and his spirits were sagging.
“He probably handled it all the best, where, as his parents, we were even more swayed by the doctors and the diagnoses and the hospitals.”
It was in March that the family reached out to the Make-AWish Foundation.
“It’s very humbling to be a part of it,” said Jeff Wolcheski, a member of the New England Regional Council of Carpenters. “The expression on his face when he walked down here made everything worth it.”
Isaac dreams of being an architect, so he made many decisions about the details of the room. He knocked down walls, learned about electrical wiring, designed the room layout and chose the furniture and flooring.
“To look at him, you wouldn’t know he had anything wrong,” said Melissa Adler.
“He’s gotten better and better, and better physically, which is great, so he’s been able to participate and enjoy it,” she added. “So these are happy tears.”
Working alongside the contractors, Isaac got to know each and every one of them.
“He’s so special. All you have to do it meet him once, really super kid,” said painter Rob Lunn, who volunteered weekends to get the room painted.
With Surf City blue and Fuchsine red stripes painted along the walls, Boston Red Sox door handles, sports paraphernalia, including signed footballs and his own baseball jersey emblazoned with ADLER, alongside his baseball glove, the room is a cheery sight for Issac, even when he is not feeling well, his mother said.
Now that the space is complete, Melissa Adler foresees Isaac spending a lot time with family and friends playing board games, watching television on the HD TV mounted on the wall, shooting hoops on the two-hoop “Shot Clock” Basketball game and gathering around the pool table.
“Any kid would love a space like this, for sure, just to hang out and play” says Melissa Adler. “But sometimes he’s not feeling great and doesn’t want to go out and so this is a place that kids and family can come to him.
“It’s going to be a safe, fun space for him, and for us, to bond and play games.”