Miracle baby from Mt. Prospect gets Disney wish granted

Michael and Kelly Sherkey of Mount Prospect call their 6-year old son, John, their miracle baby.

Born at 25 weeks gestation, he weighed less than two pounds at birth and spent the first six months of his life in the hospital.

He needed oxygen for more than two years because of the chronic lung disease that resulted from his early birth. John also deals with cerebral palsy and stiffness in his limbs, and he has cochlear implants to make up for his severe hearing loss.

Yet, despite given long odds, he survived, and he continues to be at the center of his parents' lives.

Their house is filled with his many pieces of therapeutic equipment, but inside his bedroom, all signs of therapy and work vanish away as life-size murals of John's favorite character, Mickey Mouse, fill the room, and miniature Disney figures surround him.

"I don't know of anything else that excites him as much as Mickey Mouse," says his mother, Kelly. "He just loves Mickey Mouse."

On Saturday, some 70 extended family members will gather at the Sherkey home for his birthday party. That's when they expect a visit by none other than Mickey Mouse himself, who will tell John that his wish to visit Mickey's Clubhouse at Walt Disney World in Orlando, has been granted.

The family will travel there in September and they hardly can wait. Just the mention of Mickey Mouse brings a wide smile from John.

His wish is one of many that will be granted this year to Illinois children battling life-threatening medical conditions by the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Illinois. A fundraiser on Sunday at Westfield Old Orchard Shopping Center in Skokie helps to underwrite these wishes.

The 6th annual Ride & Stride for Wishes offers four different venues for supporters: a children's parade, a 3-mile walk, as well as a 10-mile and 35-mile bike ride through Chicago's North Shore. Families are encouraged to come early to decorate their bikes, tricycles, wheelchairs, strollers and big wheels, all at the Make-A-Wish Decoration Creation Station before parading through the shopping center.

"This is one of our larger fundraisers," says Jessica Miller, spokeswoman for Make A Wish Foundation of Illinois. "It's hugely important for a couple of reasons. It brings the community in, in a larger way than some of our other fundraisers, and gives them a chance to meet some of our wish families."

Already, more than $72,000 has been pledged by teams and families supporting the event, but Make-A-Wish officials hope to raise $100,000 in all.

Participants will include Team Sherkey, whose members plan to do the 3-mile walk - with John riding his adaptive bicycle.

This week, he returned to Riley Elementary School in Arlington Heights to start first grade. As a special education student through Northwest Suburban Special Education Organization, he is in a self-contained classroom with other children his age, but is mainstreamed for art and music.

He loves going to school, his mother says, and even his bus driver can read his excitement, calling John, "Smiley."

But Kelly and Michael Sherkey know that visiting Mickey Mouse at the Magic Kingdom will excite their son even more, and create lasting memories for all of them.

"They're a great family," Miller adds. "We're just glad we can lighten their load a little by granting John's wish."

6th Annual Ride & Stride for WishesWhen: Saturday, Aug. 28. 35-mile bike ride through North Shore begins at 8 a.m.; 10-mile ride begins at 9:30 a.m.; 3-mile walk begins at 10 a.m.; and children's parade through shopping center begins at 11 a.m.Where: Westfield Old Orchard Shopping Center, Skokie Boulevard and Old Orchard Road in Skokie Meet at parking deck near Nordstrom's, off Lawler AvenueCost: $35 per adult and $10 for children 10 and underInfo: rideandstrideforwishes.kintera.orgFalse20001336With his mom Kelly Sherkey giving him support, John Sherkey, 6, of Mount Prospect, who suffers from cerebral palsy, works at his conductive therapy table. Make-A-Wish Foundation is granting Sherkey his wish to go to Disney World.Bills Zars | Staff PhotographerFalse