Dog the Bounty Hunter, Make a wish Foundation
For a lad called Steven, Santa comes with tattoos
By Judi McLeod
Monday, December 18, 2006
This is a story that makes you hear Christmas bells ringing, even though you know that the town church pealing out on frosty air burned down years ago. This is the kind of story that makes you want to count your blessings; a story that gives people everywhere-- no matter how down at heart--something to believe in.
This is the story of 15-year-old Steve Eltz, who even after a long history of surgery and medical procedures, including cerebral palsy, hydrocephalus, seizures and orthopedic problems, retains a sense of humor marked by an infectious chuckle that would just melt your heart.
It's the story of a perpetually playful lad, who'd sooner be down at the local creek catching tadpoles than in hospital for another operation, and the tale of a youngster who can still tease his sister, Laura when he thinks she needs a little cheering up.
With setbacks that would discourage the strongest of adults, Steven dares to dream-- something always encouraged by the sunshine of his life, his mother Barb Eltz.
"Dog the Bounty Hunter has been Steven's hero for ages," says his Mom. "and it's noteworthy that it was really the repeated failure of the shunt that controls his hydrocephalus that led to his neurosurgeon completing an application for the Make-a-Wish process.
When the Make-a-Wish Foundation offered to grant Steven any wish he wanted, you can depend it was to meet Duane, Dog the Bounty Hunter, Chapman. Not only did he want to meet Dog face-to-face, being the generous guy that he is, he wanted his Dog-admirer 7-year-old friend, DJ to have the same thrill.
When Steven can't see Dog on his a&E reality television show, he's in his room imagining that he's tagging along with Dog as he catches up the with all the bad guys.
Not for Steven the teen idols like everybody else. His favorite poster girl happens to be Doug's wife, Beth.
So when was given the word by his Mom that his wish was about to come true, Steven wasn't taking any chances. He asked to wear his favorite green tee-shirt, the one with the words "Chick Magnet" emblazoned right across the front.
"Beth--I have a crush on her!" Steven `fessed up as soon as he was introduced to Dog. Seeing all the kisses Beth was bestowing on the North Dakota teen, Dog put the laughing suitor into a headlock for the cameras.
Going all the way from North Dakota to Hawaii was the trip of a lifetime--especially when Dog and Beth were at the end of the journey.
The Make-a-Wish gift made Steven feel important, as not only D.J., but also Mom and sister Laura could make the trip. The family photo with Diamond Head in the backyard flanked by Mom and Laura is now the last thing he sees as he closes his eyes at night.
"Make-a-Wish treated us like royalty, as did Dog's publicity agent, Mona Wood," said Barb.
Of the tee shirt, Steven advised surrounding male reporters: "It attracts girls better."
Steven and D.J. became Dog fans by watching Hawaii's world famous bounty hunter every chance they could. They daydreamed between episodes and told each other often how wonderful it would be if they could ever meet Dog in person.
as it happened, the crew was shooting for a future episode of Dog the Bounty Hunter on the day of their visit.
Chapman, who receives 7,000 requests for visitors a week, told Steven and D.J., "It's my honor that you wanted to meet me."
"I'm amazed that kids that age would like the show. Very scary. Be very careful, Dog, because people are watching," he joked.
Imagine the thrill for Steven when Beth played "popping wheelies" with him in his wheelchair, giving him a wild ride through the parking lot that he'll "NEVER" forget!
"What touched me, though was how Dog and everyone in the office treated us like family from the minute we walked through the door," said Barb. "They got right down there and made the boys feel as if nobody else in the world mattered, and they laughed and they played like they were children themselves."
Chapman, approaches children who hold him as a hero, the same way he approaches everything else in life--by throwing his heart into it.
Big as they are, the bad guys always head for the hills--some all the way to Mexico-- when they hear the spurs on Dog's cowboy boots coming their way.
Beth proved even nicer in person than she is on television, and there's a teenager somewhere in North Dakota today who took her home in his heart.
"It was the tender hug and the one last "I love you," Barb recalls fondly.
"When Dog, Beth and family show kindness to the people they capture, people who are ignored, shunned and written off by society, I think it speaks to people with disabilities who might feel the same way," said Barb. "I think Steven also sees a strong paternal figure in Dog, the way he teases yet shows unvarnished admiration for his own children. Steven lost his father when he was four, so I think that's part of the appeal as well."
When Steven and D.J. returned home, they told everyone who would listen about meeting true-life hero Dog the Bounty Hunter.
There may be other youngsters faster on rollerblades, better at video games than Steven and D.J. But who could ever really boast having met the real Dog in person? Besides it is Steven and D.J. who will star in an upcoming Dog The Bounty Hunter episode.
The stars may fade from the sky in the morning, but the stars in Steven's eyes are there forever.
Dog reinforced Steven's belief in himself and made him look a hero in the eyes of the younger D.J.
For Barb it was coming home with new faith. "When you have a child that has something life threatening, I think you treasure the little things in life a lot more, and Dog did that for us."
To Steven, who's not in his wheelchair when he goes out with Dog in his night dreams, Dog is the hero who catches the bad guys and Santa Claus all wrapped in one.
But this Santa Claus is unique. He comes with tattoos and puts you in a headlock.
Petitions for Dog the Bounty Hunter
www.xkastclients.com/dog2/petitionwww.petitiononline.com/dwayne
www.teamtancredo.com/chapmansupporters.asp
Canada Free Press founding editor Most recent by Judi McLeod is an award-winning journalist with 30 years experience in the print media. Her work has appeared on Newsmax.com, Drudge Report, Foxnews.com, Glenn Beck. Judi can be reached at: judi@canadafreepress.com
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