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Wishes finally come true for special needs children from Houston

01:34 PM CST on Friday, November 7, 2008

By Jeff McShan / 11 News

HOUSTON -- Two Houston children finally had their wishes come true this week thanks to generous 11 News viewers, among others.

Video
Jeff McShan's 11 News report
November 6, 2008

The special needs children and their families were left heartbroken last month when a charity that promised to grant those wishes suddenly disappeared.

Their mothers shared their stories after meeting last month for the first time.

Nicole McGuire and Holly Andrew told 11 News how they were approached by the Texas Wishing Well Foundation outside a Houston Wal-Mart.

Nicole's 8-year-old son Tanner wanted to go to New York to meet famous chef Bobby Flay even though he's allergic to food and weighs less than 50 pounds.

Holly's daughter Gabriella, who was born severely premature, wanted to go back to her hometown of Buffalo, New York so she could ice skate with her old friends.

11 NEWS

"Sometimes people aren't what they seem," said Gabriella.

Both moms signed a form that they believe helped Texas Wishing Well Foundation raise thousands of dollars.

But when it came time for the dream trips, the charity's organizers were nowhere to be found. Its Web site also vanished.

McGuire didn't have the heart to tell her son.

After our story aired, dozens of people called wanting to help. Chef Bobby Flay offered to take care of most of the expenses and Nicole and Tanner left for the Big Apple Thursday morning.

"It relieves the hurt somewhat when people care and we don't feel so alone," McGuire said.

Gabriella will join Tanner and Bobby Flay in New York on Friday. This week, she's been living her dream of ice skating.

The families said Texas Wishing Well Foundation also sent them checks and informed them that the charity had folded.

Gabriella says she's learned an all important lesson.

"That there is more good people out there than there are bad, and sometimes people aren't what they seem," she said.

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