Make-A-Wish grants Massachusetts child's dream to become Savannah Banana for a day
Mark "Swaggy" Lane is a 10-year old from Mansfield, Massachusetts who deals with a rare seizure disorder with a spirit that belies his age.
His mother, Aprill Lane, said Mark has hundreds of seizures each day — but handles it as best he can.
"He's pretty bad a**," she said on Wednesday in Savannah, at a special event for Mark and his family.
Mark became a fan of the Savannah Bananas a few years ago when he saw some of the team's videos that went viral on TikTok. When he later had a chance to live out a dream through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, he asked to become a Banana for a day.
That will happen on Thursday night when the Bananas play at Historic Grayson Stadium in Savannah. On Wednesday, three Banana players and members of Make-A-Wish Georgia presented Mark with a No. 10 Banana jersey with "Swaggy'' on the back, as he signed a contract to join the team at the Savannah Chamber of Commerce.
Aprill Lane said Mark's condition, which doctors know of only three existing cases, has seizures caused by sensitivity to light. He always wears sunglasses when he's outside — he's an Oakley man. She said some soccer players were teasing him one day at a practice when a 12-year-old girl said she thought the glasses gave Mark swag. He's been known as "Swaggy" ever since.
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"The Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Bananas focus on hope, and they have shown us that Mark is more than his disease," she said. "It shows that he's way more than his diagnosis."
Swaggy was all smiles as he interacted with the Banana players, and he showed off a celebration dance move that he has been working on as the room full of people at the Chamber of Commerce cheered.
"It's been really awesome — from the moment we arrived at the airport with people out there to meet us," Aprill Lane said. "It was way more than we expected and we can't wait to go to the game tomorrow night."
Swaggy is set to see playing time at second base Thursday night, and his mom said he is capable of hitting "dingers."
His four siblings and father, Brian Lane, are along for the trip. They hit Tybee Island on Wednesday.
"It's been a truly amazing experience," Brian Lane said. "He's a kid who just loves baseball and dancing. So when he discovered the Bananas on TikTok, this wish was the perfect one for him."
Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah Bananas team with Make-A-Wish to make a kid's dream come true
