Spencerport toddler gets to 'Make a Wish'

Ty and his sister, Nicolette Coleman, take a break from the action at Disney while on the Make A Wish-sponsored trip. Provided photo.

Barney, one of Ty's favorite characters, spends time with him following a performance at Disney World. Ty is held by his mother, Laurie Coleman. Provided photo.

Spencerport toddler gets to 'Make a Wish'

Three-year-old Ty Vining, son of Laurie Coleman of Spencerport, has been through a lot in his short little life, but Coleman said that every day with him has been a blessing. "I don't know what I would do without him in my life," she said.

Ty was born four months premature and weighed only one pound. He has undergone seven major surgeries and only has 20 percent of his intestines remaining. "The doctors didn't think he was going to make it, but he is a fighter," Coleman said. He spent the first eight months of his life in the hospital. "It's been a rocky road, but I've always been optimistic that he is going to be okay and he hasn't proved me wrong yet."

An example of that, Coleman said, was that Ty was slated for a liver transplant but during the time he had to wait to receive one, his blood tests kept showing that his liver was improving. "Now his counts are normal, his liver is functioning and he doesn't need the surgery," she said.

Because of his fighting spirit and the desire to do something to make him laugh, his mom contacted the Make A Wish Foundation, filled out the paperwork and was "blown away" when they contacted her to tell her that Ty's wish was going to be fulfilled - with a trip to Disney World in Orlando, Florida. They stayed at the "Give the Children the World" village inside of Disney. "Volunteers came to our house, they gave him a Make A Wish shirt and a stuffed Mickey Mouse and told us everything that we needed to do to get ready for the trip," she said. "They came to get us in a limo to take us to the airport, too."

The trip was as much fun for Ty as it was for his 10-year-old sister, Nicolette Coleman, Laurie said. "Nicolette has been through a lot with everything we have to do for Ty every day, this was a treat for her as well," she said.

Coleman, who owns the store Planet Pink, took along one of her employees, Christina Chinappi. "I met her mom (JoAnn, a sales representative for Westside News) when she came to the store and then I hired Christina to work here and she is just fantastic," Coleman said. "I was so happy

The highlight of the trip for Ty, Laurie said, was getting to meet Barney. "We went to the Barney show and afterwards, some of the workers came up to us and asked us to stay after the show. We did and Barney came out. Ty's eyes just lit up. He was thrilled," she said. Coleman said that the children with the Make A Wish Foundation wear a badge that lets the people at Disney know who they are. "We were able to get pictures with all of the characters walking around. It was a great time for both of the kids."

The next thing on Ty's plate is going to school. "He starts at WE-MO-CO. I'm nervous but know that it will probably be good for him to get out and be with other people," she said, adding that he has recently started to walk. "He's a bit shaky but he's getting there. He's a fighter," she said with obvious pride at the strides her son is making.