Sweet seven-year-old Rohan from Kensington, MD is always on the move. He loves swimming, dancing along to his favorite music or going on family road trips. Rohan has a special super power- making new friends everywhere he goes. He greets everyone with a smile and loves to leave with a big hug.  He especially loves to be outside in his home’s backyard, playing games, drawing with chalk and running as fast as he can. 

“Within Rohan's first year of being born, we could tell things weren't exactly right, but as first time parents, we didn't really know what it was,” his mom, Avantika said. “It became clear after his first birthday, when he was trying to stand and kept falling back, that he wasn't able to catch himself properly. That was the start of his medical journey. Every part of his life and our life has been affected and it hasn't been easy. The disease he has is responsible for motor functions, which effects many things such as walking, talking, eyesight and cognition. It is a progressive disease, so as we've grappled with that, the one thing we decided is to make things as positive and comfortable for Rohan as we can.”

Despite his challenges with a rare disorder, Rohan greatly values his independence and always tries to be mobile without help. His family knows all the best local parks that could safely accommodate his mobility aids so he could play as safely as possible.  Often it was his own backyard that presented the most dangers and challenges to his independence. The tall and uneven nature of his backyard’s grass continuously made his walker get stuck often when he ran, causing him to fall. His family did not feel safe letting him play in the backyard and it became a place of anxiety for the whole family.

Rohan wished to have his backyard covered with artificial turf to allow his walker to glide around the yard with ease. Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic set to work, covering the whole yard, fence to fence, with walker-friendly turf.

Rohan was so excited to see the finished product: a smooth, flat, short-cut green surface blanketing his yard, ready to be played on. “Isn’t this awesome, bud? You can go wherever you want!”, his dad, Nathan, said. “Whoa!”, Rohan exclaimed in response with a big smile as he zoomed across the yard to check out the pile of gifts awaiting him.

For Rohan’s family, the most memorable part of the wish experience was seeing the completed turf yard and realizing that what they had envisioned and hoped for him came true. “On a daily basis we are trying to have those safe spaces and places to occupy Rohan,” Nathan said. “It adds a daily anxiety. I think we just got a breath of fresh air in having this thing that is very special and unique. We felt so supported and like a weight has been lifted. For him to be able to have a place where he can do what he wants, and we can let him do that without him being at risk of hurting himself, is pretty incredible.”

Now that Rohan’s wish has come true, he won’t be slowed down while doing all the outdoor activities he enjoys. He is outside daily – throwing balls, running and playing yard games. His family is looking forward to seeing his wish greatly improve his quality of life as he makes wonderful memories in his new, safer backyard! 

A special thank you to Rohan’s vendor team Chesapeake Bay Synthetic Landscapes LLC, Rental Works, Aggtrans/The Stone Store and Brock USA for their invaluable contributions.