Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
WEST JORDAN -- Alex Homer may have been born with only half a heart, but it is a heart "full of happy," according to the 4-year- old.
Alex was born with hypoplastic left-heart syndrome, a rare congenital heart defect seen in only 1-4 of 10,000 live births. The dangerous condition led to four open-heart surgeries, one of which was a repeat because the first one had failed.
His life has been spent in the doctor's office, but his heart lies with the sights and sounds of a monster truck rally.
"We took him to his first monster truck rally when he was two and he just loved it," said Brynn Homer, Alex's mother. "It was so loud, but he loved the noise; he loved the smell. He loved every minute of it."
So much so that he named his pet frog "Monster Truck" and has dressed up in the past as a monster truck driver on Halloween. He will wear a monster truck T-shirt until it cannot be worn anymore; his mom said he says he is thankful for "monster trucks and family."
Such is Alex's love of monster trucks that when Brynn Homer got the phone call from the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Utah offering Alex a visit from a real truck, she could not contain her excitement.
"I screamed into the phone," she said. "I knew this would mean the world to a little boy who has had a rough life. As his mommy you get so humbled by people and the things they are willing to do to make kids they don't even know happy. It's those happy memories I hope he remembers instead of being sick."
This type of joy and selflessness that people offer to our family, there are no words to describe how wonderful, how kind it is.
–Brynn Homer
The Make-A-Wish foundation had already granted Alex his true wish: he got to visit Disneyworld in August 2011. The monster truck visit was what the foundation calls a "wish enhancement": an opportunity to participate in an additional activity or event, which is often provided by members of the community.
"When a child is referred to us, we invite them back to these activities for five years after their wish is granted," said Christine McAttee, the foundation spokeswoman. "We keep track of kids' interests, and it's always a surprise when they go and say we have something extra. It's fun and exciting for us to be able to give that child something they're interested in."
"Families just want another day with their child," she continued. "They just want to put a smile on their kids faces, whether they wish for Disneyworld or a room full of Legos. They just want to forget about illness and be a kid for a day; that's what wishing does for these kids."
When the opportunity arose for a child to be visited by a monster truck and attend a rally, Alex arose as the perfect candidate.
His reaction did not disappoint. He "freaked out" when he heard of the visit, according to his mother. Not quite able to grasp how many days were left until the big visit, he repeatedly asked, "how many sleeps?"
After inviting his preschool class to attend, he often asked strangers on the street if they wanted to see the monster truck that would be visiting his house.
"Even though he has a broken heart, it's pretty full of love and excitement," Homer said.
That excitement spilled over when a monster truck called Bigfoot arrived; clapping, squealing and jumping up an down, he finally spilled into his seat in a rush of emotion, beyond words, to wait for the driver, Larry. Starstruck, he shook hands with Larry and rushed back to hug his mom, saying, "thank you."
Neighbors came outside to see what the ruckus was. After an impromptu block party with plenty of Mrs. Field's cookie cake and during which Alex got to sit in both Bigfoot and atop a police motorcycle, he lay on the floor, looking at pictures of himself with the truck.
"My heart is just so full of happy," he said.
As was the heart of Brynn Homer.
She said people do not realize that when Alex is struggling, it is this type of experience he will remember, instead of thinking about the pain he is in. He will remember it, and he will learn from it.
"People are so goodhearted and I think for him to see that take place, that goodheartedness, is just so amazing," Homer said. "This type of joy and selflessness that people offer to our family, there are no words to describe how wonderful, how kind it is."
"As a parent, you want to give your child everything," she continued. "You want to fix everything your kid might experience that would hurt them."
Email: sgrimes@ksl.com
