Sooke’s own Ashton Combdon, 8, will be travelling to the mainland to play alongside the Make-A-Wish Dream Team in the 10th Annual EA Challenge on March 4.
The exuberant young boy suffers from a life-threatening intestinal condition that requires him to be fed through an IV. To date, Ashton has endured 36 surgeries.
But you would never know Ashton suffers from a medical condition by looking or talking to him, said his mother Michelle Combdon.
A sentiment shared by her husband Quinton Combdon.
“He won’t let his condition slow him down. He’s a lot tougher than I am -- he’s got a good spirit,” he said.
Ashton is so excited that he’s been counting down the days until he travels to the Electronic Arts Campus in Burnaby to compete in a video game challenge against EA staff, players from the BC Lions and Whitecaps, and many others. The games of choice are EA SPORTS NHL and FIFA games on Xbox 360.
“I’m going to go out there and try my best,” Ashton said.
Quinton said his son is excited, but does not understand the magnitude of the event.
“He’s pretty excited, but I don’t think he completely understands what he got invited to. He’s excited because he gets to play video games, but I don’t think he understand the whole gravity of the situation.”
Ashton said he’s feeling “pretty good” and is excited to go against some of B.C.’s major sports players.
An avid gamer, Ashton will also receive exclusive access to the latest video games not yet on the market. According to Ashton, his current favourite video game is Skylanders.
Last July, Ashton received a wish from the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and went on a trip to Disney World in Orlando with his family.
According to a Make-A-Wish Foundation of BC and Yukon press release, the organization has been operating since 1983, and has fulfilled nearly 1,500 wishes from children with life-threatening conditions.