Ethan Chartier can talk about the bedroom makeover, new tech toys, limo ride, pizza party and trip to Electronic Arts on Friday but 11-year-old is sworn to secrecy about the new EA games he got to play.
The Make A Wish Foundation of BC and Yukon provided the tech-themed day for Ethan who is three years post surgery for a transverse aortic coarctation (heart defect).
Ethan got a private tour of EA鈥檚 Burnaby head office, including a chance to play games not yet on the market, before a limo ride back home for a pizza lunch with his parents.
Now with his newly renovated bedroom, his parents won鈥檛 be able to order him to his room as punishment.
What does the wish makeover mean for the young recipient?
鈥淚t means I will never leave my room,鈥 Ethan joked.
But then he faced a dilemma. As the pizza was delivered on Friday, four members of Geek Squad were standing on the front porch of his mom鈥檚 Clayton home.
The Best Buy tech crew surprised Ethan, there to hook up the new technology he received as part of his bedroom makeover.
Pizza or tech? Which called to him more?
鈥淏oth,鈥 he said.
The student at Yorkson Creek Middle School was a bit overwhelmed by all the attention. The Geek Squad addition to his wish was even a surprise to his parents, showing up with swag and teaching Ethan how to hook up the new gear.
鈥淎s his parents, just to see the involvement and how much work they鈥檝e put into it means a lot to us,鈥 said his father, Christian about the special wish. 鈥淓than, he鈥檚 been really excited for the past couple of weeks. He didn鈥檛 know some of the things that he was getting.鈥
The family first contacted Make A Wish about three years ago. Make A Wish grants wishes to seriously ill and terminally ill children.
鈥淓than kept changing his wish,鈥 chuckled his mom, Teresa Wright.
He asked for a cruise, then to meet sports heroes.
鈥淚 wanted to meet [Lionel] Messi and Lemieux,鈥 Ethan said.
Messi is the young soccer player鈥檚 favourite athlete. A fan of Barcelona FC, Ethan plays soccer with 91原创 United.
The foundation worked with the family to create the wish after various interviews to assess the medical issues involved. Ethan had a life-threatening narrowing of the aorta, the major blood vessel of the heart.
The foundation proceeded with the wish once he was physically sound. So recently while he stayed over at his dad鈥檚 house, his room was repainted and stocked with a new bed, other furniture, and tech toys.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e amazing,鈥 Wright said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 such a good foundation.鈥
Ethan has yearly follow up exams at B.C. Children鈥檚 Hospital.
Now he鈥檚 able to play soccer three or four times a week.
鈥淗e鈥檚 come a long way,鈥 his father added.