Boy’s wish comes true

By DAVID QUESENBERRY

Patriot Publishing

Every child at some point in their life has that special dream of what they want to be. For four-year-old Robert Mullins, that dream is to be a firefighter. Thanks to the Radford City Fire Department and the Kids Wish Network, for one special evening Robert got to live out his dream of being a firefighter.

For one so young, Robert has faced more than his share of adversity. Born prematurely as a triplet, Robert weighed only two pounds, seven ounces at birth and spent 72 days in the NICU. During this time he suffered a brain bleed – the effects of which did not show up until he was six months old.

After extensive testing, he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. At age two, Robert began having seizures and limpness on the right side of his body which required daily medication and injections for muscle stiffness. He also suffered from several bouts of pneumonia as part of his illness.

Yet through it all, Robert held fast to his dream of becoming a firefighter.

“He wants to be a fireman,” said his mother, Melanie Mullins. “I think it started with a fire drill. Ever since then, he’s been obsessed with fire trucks and firemen and the fire alarms in the house.”

Following contact between the Kid’s Wish Network and the Radford City Fire Department, a visit to the Radford City Fire Station was arranged for Robert on Wednesday, September 11^th.

The Fire Department celebrated Robert’s visit by giving him his own firefighter helmet and a special embroidered Fire Department shirt. Robert was also shown his gear stowage hangar and was placed on the duty board as manning the hoses on the station’s pumper. Communications Director Connor Moran presented Robert with a framed certificate naming him as an honorary member and firefighter of the Radford City Fire Department.

Robert’s visit, however, was just beginning.

Fire Department personnel gave him a detailed tour of the station. He also got to ride in a fire truck and practice with a fire hose, aiming at several traffic cones placed as his targets. Afterwards, Robert and his two siblings looked over more vehicles paying special attention to trying out the lights and horns.

After the tour, the Mullins family was gifted with a trip to Gatlinburg, courtesy of the Kid’s Wish Network.

And what did Robert have to say about all of this? “I like the fire truck,” he said.