Nov 24, 2002 By Cindy Bailey Greene County Messenger 5 min read

WAYNESBURG – She arrived at her new home Dec. 20, 1991, with two braces, two bags of clothes and just two small toys. Today, at 17, Carly Stewart has everything a girl could wish for, including four new friends, courtesy of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Earlier this month, Carly, who suffers from cerebral palsy, welcomed four pygmy goats to her home in Franklin Township. “Zara,” “Cloudy,” “Fawn” and “Isaac” are very tame, having been members of a traveling petting zoo owned by Greenfield Farm in Perryopolis.

Carly is the daughter of Autumn and Randy Laskody, with whom she lives, and John Stewart, all of Waynesburg. She was referred to Make-A-Wish by a visiting nurse.

Those associated with this wish say Carly knocked everyone’s socks off when she said what she wanted most in the world was some goats.

“The people at the foundation were surprised,” Autumn said.

“My best friend has goats, and I thought they were cute,” Carly said.

Jean Weiss, one of the volunteers on Carly’s “wish team,” said her association with Carly and her family has been memorable, and not just because of the goats.

Weiss met Carly in August for the first interview and said of that meeting, “I fell in love with Carly.”

Along the way, after Carly made her wish known, someone had to research where to get the goats and then have them checked over by a veterinarian. Additionally, although the Laskodys have a barn, they didn’t have a high fence to keep in the “kids.” Make-A-Wish also provided the fence, as well as a one-year supply of feed.

Autumn and Randy then worked day and night wiring the barn and preparing the stalls.

The whole process culminated Nov. 9 with a party, including Weiss and other Make-A-Wish representatives, who presented Carly with a “Goat Crossing” sign and a cake that said, “Wishes do come true.”

“This has been a fun wish,” Weiss said. “They are a wonderful family.”

Weiss has been a volunteer with the foundation for about six years, after her adult daughter was misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis before doctors realized she had a much less serious ailment. The scary incident made Weiss want to do something to help others facing grim diagnoses.

Although she has been a part of dozens of wishes – which included trips to Disney, computers and animals – this is the first one that had anything to do with goats.

“They are so excited at the office,” she said.

Rachel Lepold, community coordinator at the Pittsburgh Make-A-Wish Chapter, agreed that Carly’s wish is extraordinary.

“As far as anyone knows here, this is the first wish for goats,” she said. “It is unusual.”

But then again, Carly is not a “usual” girl. At 17, she has endured more pain, both physical and emotional, than many people experience in a lifetime. She suffers from cerebral palsy, a condition that caused weakness on her left side but has done nothing to dampen her spirit. Bounced around in foster homes for six years, Carly was quite a sight the first time Autumn laid eyes on her.

“She had a brace on her arm and a brace on her leg,” Autumn said. “She wore thick glasses and a helmet because she fell a lot.”

During those same six years, Autumn said, she had been waiting for a call from the county Children and Youth Services Agency, where her name was on the list as a potential adoptive parent.

Autumn considers the timing of the call a “God thing.” Future mother and daughter “just clicked” from the moment they met, and the rest is history.

Yet it’s not all fun and games. Carly, who is mobile – “I fly through the halls at school,” she says – has undergone numerous surgeries on her arm and leg. Physical and occupational therapy, under the direct guidance of Autumn, have helped Carly increase her independence.

But, like all mothers of teen-agers, Autumn wants her daughter to fit in and have lots of friends. Unfortunately, even with today’s increased awareness of people with disabilities, kids can be cruel.

“I just wish kids would think before they speak,” Autumn said. “They have no idea how strong she is to get along as well as she does.”

These days, in addition to the love of her parents, Autumn and John, who helped with the trips to the vet, Carly also has a proud stepdad, Randy.

Randy, a photographer for the Herald-Standard who operates a photo studio out of his home, said he is amazed at Carly’s tenacity, and he worked diligently getting things ready for the goats.

Autumn is a graduate of Waynesburg Central High School and Waynesburg College, having earned a degree in English. She helps out with the photo studio and lovingly cares for Carly’s special needs.

Autumn also takes up the slack with the goats and other animals in the family managerie, These include some cats and a chunky little dog named “Powder,” who is already very protective of his new barnyard friends.

Nowadays, Autumn said, Carly gets ready for school by 6:30 instead of 7 a.m., so she can feed the goats and visit with them before she gets on the bus.

It’s a new beginning for Carly, but a bittersweet ending for Weiss who said she has been bewitched by Carly’s “smile, her sweet ways, and her soft voice. …I’m going to miss them so much.”