X Games Makes Wish Come True

A collection of the world’s top extreme athletes put on an amazing show for huge crowds in downtown Los Angeles for X Games 17. Those star athletes also took the time to help one special fan live out a dream.

Luke Brown hails from Portland, Oregon and is a huge sports fanatic. “Luke is a sports addict,” Tim Brown, Luke’s father. “He loves extreme sports, watching his brothers play sports, soccer, football, he’s like a walking ESPN.”

The sixteen year-old can’t walk though. He was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy when he was just six years old. The disease has confined him to a wheelchair. “I think I was in shock for two years, but slowly you realize that life has to go on and that you have to think positively,” said Tim. “Luke’s incredibly positive.”

Luke took his disease and turned it into an opportunity to help others with his sports knowledge. “Well, it’s hard some days, but some days it’s good to watch it and help your friends or brothers improve, or how to get better,” said Luke.

Despite Luke’s ability to find the positive in his situation, there was something that he always wanted to do. “His dream was to come to the X-Games,” said Tim. “He likes to participate in every sport by watching, and gets a lot of pleasure out of being a spectator.”

The Make-A-Wish foundation teamed up with the X Games and granted Luke’s wish by giving his family an all expenses paid trip to the four day extreme sports fest.

His front row seat for all the best action over the weekend helped him forget briefly that he was in a wheelchair “I still think it’d be better if I was walking, and I wouldn’t have gone through this, but it’s a pretty good alternative,” said Luke.

He also had the chance to meet some of the biggest names in the business. However, his experience with the “Birdman” is the one that will stay with him forever. “I met Tony Hawk yesterday and he was a really nice guy, so I like him a lot,” said Luke.

“We were all starstruck because Tony’s standing next to us, really super guy, just looked up and said, ‘Hi, how are you?, what’s your name,’ Luke,” explained Tim. “He stood with us for five to ten minutes and got to know us, and it was just wonderful, really great guy.”

While Luke may never win an X Games gold medal like his idol, he has given hope to people with muscular dystrophy all over the world. “Just do everything the best that you can,” said Luke. “If you can’t do something, then do something else that’ll help anybody else that’s going through the same thing that you are.”