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Ailing Boy Gets A Tiny World To Play With

News Channel 8 photo by PETER MASA

Brandon Ivy, a volunteer, helps 6-year-old Xavier McManus with his new train set. Xavier suffers from hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Brandon works for Carter, a real estate company, who helped Make-A-Wish Foundation get Xavier his train set.

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By RAY REYES | The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 3, 2008

PINELLAS PARK - A 6-year-old boy with an underdeveloped heart had a wish: a miniature landscape for his room.

Through the panorama, a train would click-clack along the tracks, coming around mountains, crossing bridges, passing by hills, pastures, cars, people and animals.

Xavier McManus' wish was granted today.

Through the Suncoast Make-A-Wish Foundation of Central & Northern Florida and the efforts of the Carter Real Estate firm, a miniature train set was built in a room of Xavier's house at 6730 35th St. N., Pinellas Park.

"His favorite movie is 'The Polar Express,'" said Barbara Lamore, Xavier's grandmother and legal guardian. "His favorite television show is 'Thomas the Train.' His favorite color is also blue, which happens to be the color of Thomas the Train."

Xavier has a life-threatening medical condition called hypoplastic left heart syndrome, according to a Make-A-Wish Foundation statement. He was born with the left side of his heart underdeveloped.

"Xavier has had 22 surgeries, including four open heart surgeries, in five years," Lamore said. "You wouldn't know it to look at him with his energy level, but he has been through a lot already in his short life."

Fifteen employees of Carter's Tampa offices spent more than a month building the train set, said Sara Wayson, general manager of Carter and lead volunteer of the project. The train platform is designed so Xavier can pop up through the middle of the table to view the vista that surrounds him.

"From the very first meeting with Xavier, we knew we had to do everything possible to make the fulfillment of his wish extra-special," Wayson said.

Suncoast Make-A-Wish grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions in Hillsborough, Hernando, Pasco and Pinellas counties. In 2007, the Make-A-Wish Foundation granted 13,000 wishes nationwide.

For information on Suncoast Make-A-Wish, call (813) 288-2600 or visit the Web site at www.wishcentral.org.

Reporter Ray Reyes can be reached at (813) 259-7920 or rreyes@tampatrib.com.

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