SAN CLEMENTE : Ill Boy Gets Wish, Calls Her Sarah

The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Orange County told kindergartner Duncan Stonz that he could wish for just about anything, including a trip to DisneyWorld or a visit to Inglewood to see the Los Angeles Lakers.

But instead of meeting Mickey Mouse or pro basketball players, said the 6-year-old cancer patient, his biggest wish was for a brand-new puppy.

On Tuesday, the San Clemente boy’s wish came true when he was given an 8-week-old female German shepherd that he immediately named Sarah.

“A lot of kids ask for Disneyland or to meet somebody famous,” said foundation spokeswoman Gail Matsunaga. “We even arranged for a little girl to see her grandmother in Iran. We’ve had about 500 wishes since 1983 and we haven’t had too many requests for a puppy.”

But the small, black puppy, donated from Donmar Kennels in Yucaipa, became an instant best friend to the blond-haired, blue-eyed boy whose cancer is currently in remission.

“I wanted it to be a girl so she could have babies,” said Duncan, who crawled into Sarah’s new dog house with his new pet.

Along with the dog and dog house, which were presented to Duncan inside a Petco store in San Juan Capistrano, he received dog toys, a leash and collar, a year’s supply of dog food and free veterinary care and obedience lessons.

Duncan, who attends Concordia Elementary School in San Clemente, said he is looking forward to taking Sarah to school this week for “show and tell.”

His condition was diagnosed as non-Hodgkins lymphoma, a cancer of the lymph nodes, when he was 3 years old.

Although the disease can be fatal, doctors say Duncan’s case is “highly curable” because of successful emergency surgery he underwent and subsequent chemotherapy treatments.

His parents say the worst part of the ordeal was when Duncan had to endure almost two years of chemotherapy treatments at Children’s Hospital of Orange County. The treatments left him nauseated, temporarily stunted his growth and made his hair fall out.

“He was a real trouper,” said his mother, Carolyn Stonz, 37. “He just didn’t know any better and accepted it all very well. He’s got the personality to deal with it.”

“He’s a real rough-and-tumble kid,” said the boy’s father, Michael Stonz, 40. “He’s grown to normal size, played soccer last year and is getting ready for Little League.”

It’s been 18 months since Duncan’s last chemotherapy treatment. If he doesn’t require any more treatments for another 18 months, he will be considered cured, his parents said.

“I think this experience has made him older than most kids his age,” said Carolyn Stonz. “He’s a lot more considerate, aware of other people and things around him.”