YOUTH MAKES TRACKS IN NEW GO-CART THROUGH MAKE-A-WISH FOUNDATION

The youngest of four athletic boys, Philip Ressel was a little different from his brothers since infancy.

He was deaf and mute until age 4, when surgery restored his hearing. After another surgery at age 6, Philip finally started fitting in with the rest of the children at school.

Then his health started deteriorating. Last year Steve and Sandy Ressel discovered their son had Duchenne's muscular dystrophy, the worst kind. Children with Duchenne's are born without the basic protein needed for healthy muscles, so they gradually lose the strength to do simple things.

Philip's hyperactivity saved him from early reliance on walkers or wheelchairs, said his mother, Sandy Ressel. Steroid treatment helped too.

But just a month ago, on March 7, Philip had an allergic reaction to anesthesia during minor dental surgery. He went into full cardiac arrest for two hours. Doctors predicted all his major organs would suffer and a blood clot would render one arm useless.

It didn't happen. On a Saturday morning in the hospital, Philip was watching "Superbook," a Christian cartoon. The episode was about Jesus healing a paralyzed man. For the first time in weeks Philip got out of bed and walked into the bathroom.

"These kids really get close to God," his mother said. "We had people praying for us in churches everywhere."

Now the 9-year-old attends second grade in Jackson and enjoys hobbies like most kids. He has to use his arms to climb steps and walks on his tip-toes, but considering his thick book of medical records, Philip's abilities are remarkable.

He even won 1996 Wrestler of the Year, awarded by the Jackson Youth Wrestling League.

"His coach said a lot of kids cry and whine after they lose a match, but not Philip," Sandy Ressel said. "He gets out there and loses every match, but he has a great time doing it. The only time he ever cried during this whole ordeal was when he had to miss a wrestling tournament.

"There wasn't a dry eye in the house when he got this award."

Because of Philip's life-threatening illness, he qualified for help through the Make-A-Wish Foundation. His mother called Make-A-Wish when Philip started asking for a camcorder to make his own movies.

Larry Kellett of Sikeston, the Ressels' wish granter, told them to think bigger.

"We have all the funds we need," Kellett said. "Thanks to the media doing so many stories, we're becoming well known. Our problem is finding kids to grant wishes to."

Philip decided on a go-cart. It had to be a special kind with a reverse gear. The final cost was around $3,000, but the go-cart has seen more use in the past two weeks than most see in a lifetime.

"We go out in it every day," Philip said. "I wanted a go-cart so I wouldn't have to ride my bike up the hill."

His father and brother take him for rides around the family's rural Cape Girardeau County neighborhood.

Philip's wish is one of six granted in Southeast Missouri since Sept. 1, 1995. The others were in Cape Girardeau, Jackson, Dexter, Perryville and Poplar Bluff.

Last fiscal year, Sept. 1, 1994, through Aug. 31, 1995, Make-A-Wish granted 39 wishes in Missouri, not counting the metropolitan St. Louis area. There have been 20 this fiscal year.

Interest in Make-A-Wish is increasing steadily. Beth Heironimus, state wish coordinator, said the organization is studying the reason for the increase. There may be more seriously ill children, but likely the cause is better promotion of Make-A-Wish.

The organization is changing, too, trying to stay away from words like "terminal."

"We make Make-A-Wish a positive experience," Heironimus said. "It is something to take their minds off the illness. We talk about the fun they're going to have."

Computers and trips to Disneyland are the most popular wishes in Missouri, but some children prefer to meet their favorite celebrities. Last year, Missouri children met Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neil, wrestler "Razor Ramon" and the cast of "Beverly Hills 90210."

Children may be referred to Make-A-Wish through their parents or guardians or through professionals who are assisting ill children.