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His wish comes true
Boardman teen with cancer to get ‘man cave’
BOARDMAN
At a local furniture store, Dante DelSignore kicked back on a plush, L-shaped couch and put his feet up.
“I’m liking this one,” he said s miling at his mom, Carrie DelSignore.
Dante, 18, was at Goldsteins Furniture & Bedding on U.S. Route 224 to choose Broyhill furniture to transform his parents’ basement into a “man cave.” The trip was coordinated by the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Dante, a senior at Cardinal Mooney High School, wanted a place where he could invite his friends over.
“I’m not the kid that sits at home on the couch,” he said.
But sometimes, his anemia and side effects from cancer treatment force him to stay home.
Dante was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, or bone cancer, in April 2007. Four months later, doctors at Akron Children’s Hospital removed the tumor — along with eight inches of his tibia bone attached to it — and began the intensive process of reconstructing his left leg.
“He had more chemotherapy, and then he was cancer-free,” his mom, Carrie, said.
He stayed that way until this May when a scan revealed a tumor in his lung.
The tumor was removed, and now he is undergoing more chemotherapy until Thanksgiving and taking experimental drugs to boost his immune system, Carrie said.
“It’s been a really long, rough road,” Carrie said.
Dante was referred to Make-A-Wish years ago, but the wish had to be postponed because of surgeries and treatment.
He said he had considered vacations and other wishes before deciding on the “man cave.”
Senior Wish Program Manager Krista Kirby said Dante will receive a television, refrigerator, microwave and Broyhill furniture.
Broyhill is a national partner with Make-A-Wish, and the company is sponsoring 50 furniture-related wishes nationwide this year, she said.
To qualify for Make-A-Wish, a child must have a life-threatening condition at the time of referral, and the child’s doctor must submit an eligibility form, Kirby said.
Last year, Make-A-Wish granted 160 wishes, of which seven were room renovations, to children in Northeast Ohio.
While sitting on the L-shaped couch that will soon be in his basement, Dante looked pleased that his wish was finally becoming a reality.
“I’ve always wanted a couch like this,” he said. “When I was a kid, we had two couches that we used to put together like this. It will make everyone feel comfortable and equal.”