Steele is an athletic young boy who can always be found with a basketball in his hand. He has multiple door hoops set up around the house so that he can constantly be perfecting his trick shots. Steele cannot be slowed down. He plays soccer as his teams’ goalie, enjoys collecting sports trading cards and playing Pokémon. Steele is a natural leader, and an intuitive communicator. Like his name, Steele is a tough kid who is naturally competitive, but he is also incredibly sweet and patient.

In January of 2019, Steele began drinking a lot more water and relieving himself more frequently than he had in the past, so his parents had him tested for diabetes. He was diagnosed with a rare type of diabetes, which required an MRI follow up. Steele’s MRI unveiled a tumor on his brain. After six months of medication, Steele’s tumor continued to grow. In September of 2019, Steele underwent brain surgery to remove the tumor and his pituitary stock. While the surgery was successful, it also left his body unable to produce hormones, so Steele must take growth hormone shots every night and other synthetic hormones for the rest of his life. After the surgery, Steele underwent three biopsies that revealed he also had a rare cancer in his central nervous system. He underwent 50 rounds of chemotherapy over the course of a year. The chemotherapy was very intense and had to be administered with inpatient care—Steele was hospitalized every week for 10 weeks during treatment, fighting high fevers, welts and blisters, full body itchy rashes, vomiting and diarrhea, tinnitus, body swelling and other terrible effects.

Steele’s mom described him as a warrior during this time because he maintained such a strong positive outlook while experiencing so much pain and discomfort. Since finishing his last rounds of chemotherapy, Steele has not experienced any new tumor growth, but the family remains cautious as there is no known cure for Steele’s condition. He will continue to receive MRI’s every three months for the rest of his life to keep check on any potential new tumors.

Despite his rather intense cancer journey, Steele is resilient and to this day maintains his active and competitive personality. More than anything, Steele loves playing basketball, which inspired his wish for a Dr. Dish Basketball Shooting machine. This machine is something he first discovered at a University of Utah kids’ clinic and has wanted for years.

When the team at Dr. Dish Basketball learned about Steele’s history, they were inspired. In addition to hooking Steele up with top-of-the-line equipment (including a custom graphics kid, speakers, and training videos), four employees from Dr. Dish Basketball flew to Salt Lake City to present Steele with his wish in-person and document the experience. The Utah Jazz and Vivint Smart Home Arena were also excited to get involved, partnering with Make-A-Wish Utah to make Steele’s wish day an event to remember.

Steele was invited to the arena under the guise of a marketing photoshoot and had no idea that his shooting machine would be awaiting him at center court. When he arrived, he was toured through the players’ walk to court, where he stepped out to music, his name in bright lights, and several guests cheering him on. When the crowd parted, Steele saw his Complete Trainer shooting machine set up on the court. The machine was preloaded with a custom video message and workout series designed specifically for Steele by Dr. Dish Basketball’s celebrity trainer Jefferson Mason; however, to Steele’s further surprise, Jefferson was waiting around the corner to run drills with Steele in-person. After a few warmups, Steele’s final surprise guest, the Utah Jazz Bear, arrived on court via motorcycle to challenge Steele to a shoot-off. Dr. Dish Basketball presented Steele with two new pairs of basketball shoes, one of which was designed and later signed by Steele’s favorite player, Donovan Mitchell.

Research shows children who have wishes granted can build the physical and emotional strength they need to fight a critical illness. For Steele, this was certainly the case as his wish will serve as a tool to further his recovery. “Running, jumping, shooting, playing sports are all critical in Steele’s recovery and keeping neuro degeneration from happening,” Steele’s mom explained. “Dr. Dish Basketball and Make-A-Wish just played a huge part in helping with this aspect of his recovery and maintenance.”

Steele’s wish day was a moving experience for all involved. After all the trials Steele has experienced throughout his medical journey, the entire community was motivated to come together to create a positive experience for Steele and his family.

“For me, this was one of the coolest professional experiences our company has been able to be a part of,” said Arron Lange, with Dr. Dish Basketball. “Bringing so much joy to a young person's life is something worth celebrating. Dr. Dish Basketball was honored to be chosen as Steele’s wish, and we were thrilled with the opportunity to assist in shaping a day that was memorable for everyone involved. Our whole company was encouraged by Steele's story, and took great pride in how the wish came together. It will be a day that we certainly will not forget, and we are excited to continue watching Steele's basketball journey for years to come!”