Tobin
Shopping Spree of a Lifetime
Ten-year-old Tobin McKinney of Decatur loves dogs and Spongebob Squarepants. A shy and timid boy, Tobin enjoys playing with his toys and trying new video games.
At birth, Tobin was diagnosed with sickle-cell anemia, a disease of the blood and blood-forming organs. Due to his illness, his mother says that he is limited in the things he can do, but he continues to remain positive.
After being introduced to Make-A-Wish when his sister, also diagnosed with sickle-cell, was granted a wish, Tobin knew exactly what his wish would be. He wanted to travel to Minnesota for a shopping spree at the Mall of America. On the first day of the trip, Tobin got to play at the nation's largest water park. During his shopping spree, he was greeted at Best Buy with a giant welcome sign and a personal shopping assistant. His favorite part of the trip was touring the LEGOâ store and buying tons of new toys and an iPad he had his eye on for a while.
"It becomes really difficult to constantly tell him no, so having something special just for him and being able to allow him to do it was truly amazing," Tobin's mother said. "The trip was unbelievable and it would not have been possible without Make-A-Wish."
More than 10,000 children have been granted a wish by Make-A-Wish Illinois.
