DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — A Lake Worth teenager with a debilitating disease now has a new way to get around town.
15-year-old Zion Turton wished for his own customized golf cart, and Make-A-Wish Southern Florida made it happen.
On Thursday morning, Zion got his first look at his new ride.
"It's everything I wanted, I really wanted a golf cart," Zion said.
Zion suffers from ulcerative colitis. The inflammatory bowel disease has crippled his childhood, making it difficult for him to go outside and enjoy life with his friends.
"It's great (the golf cart), because I know he’s gonna be outside," said his mother, Rhonda. "With his ulcerative colitis it's kept him inside a lot. He wasn’t stable."
That's why Zion wished for a customized golf cart, to help him join his friends and family outside in the neighborhood.
"We know we’re changing lives, we’re making Zion’s life better, his family, his extended family, and everybody surrounding him," said Richard Kelly, the Chief Operating Officer for Make-A-Wish Southern Florida. "This is what Zion really wants, he can chose anything in the world to wish for and he wished to have a customized golf cart."
Zion wanted the golf cart not just for himself, but for his friends and family.
"Since they help me out, I want to give them back a little pleasure, drive them around town, drive around the neighborhood," Zion said. "(My mom) has always been there for me, even when I was struggling, crying because of my stomach issue, always there for me, always took care of me, by my side."
The customized four-seat golf cart features a hunter green paint job with a brushed front, pinstripes, neon lighting, black interior, custom rims, sound system, USB ports, cup holders, and his name across the front.
The Make-A-Wish-Foundation grants wishes to children with critical illnesses. To learn more, click here.