Nate builds the perfect wish
Nate loves woodworking but like any good craftsman, he needs a shed!
So Nate’s wish was for his idol - Adam Dovile from Better Homes and Gardens - to build him a shed.
Volunteers take time to capture wish
Woodworking enthusiast Nate carved out the perfect wish.
The 13-year-old wished to have a woodworking shed built by Adam Dovile from Better Homes and Gardens.
The wish had its beginnings in the loungeroom of Nate’s house where Nate met Make-A-Wish volunteers Selana and Tiarne.
“The volunteers just directed all the questions to Nate and he answered them,” mum Sarah said.
“They asked ‘What would you wish for? If you could wish for anything, what would it be?’
“Nate was very clear. He said ‘I want Adam from Better Homes and Gardens to come to my house and build me a woodworking shed. That's what I want’.”
They (volunteers) asked ‘What would you wish for? If you could wish for anything, what would it be?’ Nate was very clear. He said ‘I want Adam from Better Homes and Gardens to come to my house and build me a woodworking shed'
Sarah, Nate's mum
Smiling through the toughest of times
Long before he put on his first high-vis top and hard hat, Nate had a challenging medical journey to negotiate.
He was born with the rare genetic disorder Apert Syndrome.
It caused the premature fusion of Nate’s skull bones, and severe webbing of his fingers and toes.
Worse still, any respiratory virus could have claimed Nate’s life.
“He has got really narrow airways and that was a big issue when he was younger,” Sarah said.
“We would be in intensive care, Nate would be intubated, and we would not know if he was going to live or die. It was horrible.”
Nate has had a total of 12 surgeries, including five on his skull and face.
“He's phenomenally resilient,” Sarah said.
“He'll still crack a smile even when he's in a horrible, horrible situation, like when he's been intubated. A machine breathing for him and when they've woken him up out of the sedation, he’s smiling.”
All quiet in Nate's house when Adam is on TV
Nate’s love for building things was sparked by a cousin visiting to renovate Nate’s home.
The young boy watched intently as his cousin got to work. It was the same cousin who would later buy Nate his first drills.
Nate’s role model quickly became Adam from Better Homes and Gardens.
“Any time Adam's segment would come on, we'd have to yell out to Nate, and he'd run into the room, sit up as close to the TV as he could and he would instruct the whole family to be silent so he could hear Adam,” Sarah said.
“He loves the power tools Adam uses and the fact that he's always working with wood. That's what Nate does. Nate is always trying to get ideas from Adam on how to improve his woodworking.”
Nate's idol turns up in front yard
Nate’s wish reveal started with a FaceTime call from Adam.
And before he had time to adjust his toolbelt, a surprised Nate was in the front yard with Adam.
“Nate was so happy, his mouth open, and in a little bit of shock,” Sarah said.
“I think he was in shock because his idol was at his house. It was a lot for him to take in.”
Nate then went to stay a couple of nights with his grandparents, as Adam and his team swung into action.
“The shed turned out better than my expectations,” Sarah said.
“It’s a really pretty shed and is in quite a prominent place in our backyard so it’s beautiful to look at.
“There are workbenches for Nate, a seat for him, and places to put his tools.
“They even got work wear made for him with his name embroidered on it.”
All hands on deck for Nate's wish
Make-A-Wish volunteers Selana and Tiarne got their hands dirty while the shed was being built. They stained wood for the shed, did some hammering and screwing. The duo also potted some plants.
“In my 10 years as a volunteer, Nate’s wish is way up there as one of my top wishes,” Selana said.
“You could tell that the wish just meant the world to Nate’s parents. His mum said, ‘I just can't believe everything that we're getting’. And she's so incredibly thankful. Dad was so thankful as well. They just know how much woodworking helps Nate and for him to be able to have this provided for him made them so happy.”
The team from Better Homes and Gardens are a bunch of wonderful human beings that really cared about my son
Sarah, Nate's mum
'This would be his favourite thing from childhood'
Mum Sarah said she felt so much gratitude towards Better Homes and Gardens, and Make-A-Wish.
“I just feel so blessed that Nate got to voice this wish and that it actually came to be,” she said.
“It’s just mind-blowing that it actually has happened. It's so beautiful. It makes me so happy.
“The team from Better Homes and Gardens are a bunch of wonderful human beings that really cared about my son.
“You could tell that they were so happy to be able to fulfil his wish. It made them happy and they seemed like they felt like it was a privilege to do it, which was just amazing.
“It's something that probably has made my son's childhood. Like it's the kind of thing that when he looks back on his childhood, this would be his favourite thing from his childhood.”
Sarah said she valued all the Make-A-Wish donors who made wishes possible.
“A wish means everything,” she said.
“I always say when you have a kid with special needs the lows are really low, but the highs are really high.
“And this is probably this is the biggest high we have had and the biggest high Nate has had.”
Thank you to the team at Better Homes and Gardens for helping to bring Nate’s wish to life.
