BOY NEEDS HEART

Wishing upon a star didn't get him very far, so Kevin Lossing and his parents made his ultimate wish known to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Lossing asked for a new home computer.

His wish was granted this week.

Kevin, 12, is awaiting a heart transplant. Doctors diagnosed his heart problems about three months ago. His heart functions at only 20 percent of its normal capacity.

The heart malfunctions are caused by Beckers muscular dystrophy, which isn't as devastating as other types of the disease.

Kevin was placed on an organ transplant list in mid-October. His parents, Yvonne and Gary Lossing, carry a beeper so they can be reached immediately when a heart is available.

Doctors want him to live with his own heart as long as possible, Yvonne Lossing said, adding that he takes about 10 different medications daily.

Because Kevin is awaiting a transplant, the Cape Girardeau family can't travel far. So Kevin had to change his wish from a trip to Disneyworld to a home computer.

The computer arrived complete with a color monitor, color printer, modem and plenty of new programs including a CD-ROM encyclopedia. It was donated by a company in California.

Kevin hopes the new computer will help him with school work but it's got plenty of games as well. "I have no idea what I'll do first," he said. After local Make-A-Wish volunteers set up the computer, Kevin and two friends played a chess game. His sister, Keely, 9, even got a chance to sit in front of the keyboard.

Sharon Dreyer, a local Make-A-Wish volunteer for six years, said most of the wishes are requests for computers or trips to Disneyworld and Disneyland.

"Anything is possible with Make-A-Wish," Dreyer said. "Whatever their dreams are, then we make the wish come true."

The average request costs from $3,000 to $5,000 but at no cost to the family, she said.

During the year, volunteers organize fund-raising events to help make the wishes come true, Dreyer said. The next fund-raiser will be in March.

Three local volunteers handle requests from a 19-county area. In the last year, six wishes have been granted in Perryville, Jackson and Cape Girardeau.

For more information about Make-A-Wish Foundation of Missouri, call 1-800-937-9474 or by write 2055 S. Fremont, Springfield, Mo. 65804.