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A furry friend to help ease the pain

Eight-year-old Noah Gilstrap gets to ride in a limo to pick up the latest addition to his family.

By MOISES MENDOZA
Published August 6, 2006

For Noah Gilstrap, an Inverness 8-year-old with a mop of brown hair and a toothy smile, Friday was the sort of day dreams are made of.

He was getting a puppy - an energetic 10-month-old brown boxer - courtesy of dog breeders from the Hunte Corp., a Petland store in Leesburg and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

The little pup he named Nacho will help Noah deal with his condition, a lifelong, life-threatening disorder called primary immunodeficiency.

His immune system is faulty, so it's extremely easy for him to suffer severe infections. For Noah, an everyday cold can mean hospitalization or even death.

His mother, Teresa Gilstrap, said he was a healthy baby until he was about 11 months old.

Doctors couldn't identify what was wrong for several years. By that time, Noah had been in and out of the hospital a number of times.

In order to treat Noah's disorder, a nurse comes in each month to hook him up to a machine that gives him medicine through his chest.

Noah usually suffers severe migraines and joint pain from the treatment. Teresa Gilstrap hopes Nacho will ease the pain and give Noah a playmate when he can't go outside.

Noah didn't know what was in store for him Friday. Family members had told him they were helping set up for a visit from friends of his grandma, Norine Gilstrap.

Then a white limo pulled up and whisked Noah and his family to Leesburg and the Petland at the Shoppes of Lake Village.

A few minutes after arriving, a grinning Noah had picked out a red collar and leash - red is Noah's favorite color - and was kneeling in a back room to pet Nacho.

He spent more than an hour with his new buddy at the pet store. Noah said he planned on playing with Nacho all day.

Before Friday, the Make-A-Wish Foundation had asked Noah to list his top four wishes. He was interested in being a movie star for a day, going to Hawaii or meeting Arnold Schwarzenegger. But the puppy was at the top of the list.

Petland store owner David Chapman wiped his eyes as he watched the happy commotion. It cost him about $750 to put together the supplies for Noah and his family to care for the dog.

But he didn't care. Because a little boy's dream had come true.

[Last modified August 5, 2006, 21:01:54]