Make-a-Wish volunteers help assemble boy’s play set

Despite a heart defect, chronic lung failure, a 19 1/2-hour surgery, two oxygen deprivations to his brain and countless trips to the hospital, 3-year old Easton Weis was at his northwest Wichita home Saturday to see his Make-a-Wish play set assembled in his backyard.

Easton, who will turn 4 in September, was born with a heart defect that caused his health complications and lung failure.

He can’t walk or talk, so his parents, Brittney and Kyle Weis, made the Make-a-Wish decision on his behalf.

Kyle said they knew Easton would not enjoy a vacation. But because he loves to play with toys and to swing, they thought a play set would best suit his interests.

Roughly 15 volunteers helped assemble the play set. The group started at around 9 a.m. Saturday and finished with a barbecue midday.

Gavin Koester, volunteer for Make-a-Wish, said that with nonverbal kids, it’s important to identify what makes them laugh and enjoy life.

“I remember when we came, he was playing with plastic bags and liked the sound and the feel of them,” he said. “It was very obvious that that sensory feeling was a very special thing for him.”

Easton’s small frame, with thin arms and legs, bears numerous scars, one stretching nearly the entire length of his torso.

Easton also has a plastic device connected to a hole in his throat that helps him breathe without a ventilator.

But Brittney and Kyle remain sanguine about his condition, speaking with an upbeat pitch, even in the face of an unpredictable life expectancy.

“We actually just try to live life normally and take it day-by-day,” Brittney said.

Easton has a 2 1/2-year-old brother, Casey, and another brother due this week. Brittney said she’s scheduled for a Caesarian section on Tuesday.

Even through Easton’s health complications, Brittney and Kyle said, they didn’t fear another pregnancy.

“Healthwise, I mean, it’s only going up from there,” Kyle said. “We’ve been through a lot with him, so anything is kind of a piece of cake.”

This story was originally published July 25, 2015 at 7:35 PM with the headline "Make-a-Wish volunteers help assemble boy’s play set."