On the day of his wish, Garrett’s excitement was profound. He was about to experience a change in his life, something that would lift him from his daily challenges of living with recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, otherwise known as EB. This rare disease causes Garrett’s skin to blister easily, creating painful wounds over 80 percent of his body and rendering him unable to walk.
Garrett has one of the most severe cases of EB, requiring him to be wrapped in gauze bandages from his neck to his toes to prevent the skin from breaking – a task his parents, Lorraine and Jay, take on every few days. Garrett’s case has even been documented by the National Geographic “Extraordinary Humans: Skin” series in a segment called “Garrett: The Boy Behind the Bandages.” As his disease progresses, pain management is paramount, as is keeping him occupied with activities he enjoys … activities such as playing video games.
But on his special day, EB was far from Garrett’s mind. His wish for an electronics shopping spree was granted, giving him some reprieve from his disease as he spent the day picking out the much-awaited items on his wish list.
“I’m really excited,” Garrett said before departing for his shopping spree. “This whole week just seemed like it took forever.”
Garrett’s day began with a limo ride, accompanied by his parents. And countless members of his community came out to cheer him on. Garrett’s shopping spree came with the added surprise of meeting wheelchair basketball player Steven Davis at Game Stop in Modesto’s Plaza Parkway, followed by lunch at one of Garrett’s favorite restaurants.
The shopping spree gave Garrett something to look forward to for a long time, and he gave it careful thought before making his wish. During his day-long shopping spree, Garrett checked his dream electronics off his list, which included an iPad Mini, a Macbook Air, a PlayStation 4 and am iPhone 5S.
Garrett explained that these items are functional and entertainment fun. The PlayStation 4 and iPhone allow him to connect with friends and take his mind off the daily rigors of EB, while the Macbook Air and iPad will serve him well in the online college courses after high school. Garrett, who loves sports, dreams of being a sports statistician. He also has plans to center his studies around business to be a part of his mother’s company.
“We really created this business for him so that he’ll have something to do in the future,” Montello said.