10-year-old Mark 'Swaggy' Lane joins Savannah Bananas baseball team through Make-A-Wish
MANSFIELD - Days later, the Lanes are still laughing; Still reliving every trick, TikTok dance, and Savannah Bananas teammate-turned-friend. The Mansfield family just returned home from an unforgettable trip, made possible by Make-A-Wish.
Ten-year-old Mark, who goes by "Swaggy", signed a one-day contract with the famous, funny baseball team. His nickname comes from his "swagger" while wearing the hat and sunglasses that keep him safe.
"When he was three, he was diagnosed with an ultra-rare genetic mutation. It can present with various neurological conditions; For him he has a rare treatment resistant form of epilepsy that's photosensitive. It's triggered by any changes of light," mom Aprill explained.
Swaggy lives with hundreds of seizures every day; some subtle, others quite scary. The 5th grader has special accommodations at school, like different bulbs in his classroom.
The crowd went crazy for Mark "Swaggy" Lane at last night's The Savannah Bananas game against The Party Animals. He was rocking his No. 10 jersey, which said Swaggy on the back. Diagnosed with a rare seizure disorder which can cause several hundred seizures a day, Mark is one of only three documented cases in the world of the genetic mutation that causes it. His seizures are triggered by light, so he has to wear a cap and sunglasses most of the time. Mark was teased by his peers for having his sunglasses on until a young girl stepped in and told him she thought it gave him swag. From then on, the nickname Swaggy was born and has stuck ever since. Swaggy had a blast hanging out with the players and being their official hype man. The honorary Banana spent time with players in the dugout and showed off his dance moves from the sidelines. The Bananas won 4-3, giving Swaggy and his teammates even more reason to celebrate the special game. Stay tuned for more on Swaggy and his fun antics with the Savannah Bananas.
Posted by Make-A-Wish Massachusetts and Rhode Island on Friday, August 4, 2023
"When you live with rare disease it impacts the whole family. It's hard as caregivers. You're up all night, constantly monitoring. We worry about camp, school, what if he falls down the stairs? What if he's on the playground and has a seizure?" Aprill said.
But even beneath his shades, this wish granted was all about light: sharing Swaggy's sweet, silly personality with the team and their fans, and celebrating the other stars in the Lane family: his four siblings.
"Even though the seizures were still there, the diagnosis was still there, the trip was an experience that sort of removed you from that. Every piece of it was about making it fun for our family," she added.
"Above and beyond what we could have imagined. That was what made it really special," dad Brian added.