ATLANTA -
A local young man has put smiles on the faces of kids all over the nation and it all started from a school assignment. Tanner Smith knew what it was like to be in a hospital. When his dad was diagnosed with cancer, he and his family spent a lot of time there. He says it was then he decided to make it his mission to make the hospital a fun place for kids.
It was a busy morning for 21-year-old Tanner Smith. At Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite, it's not at all strange to see the 6'5" Alpharetta native pulling a red wagon around. In fact, it's a welcome sight.
Smith was delivering totes to the pre-teens and teens at the hospital. They're called Tanner's Totes, filled with free goodies for patients. It's something Tanner's been doing since he was young. It all stemmed from a paper he wrote in the fourth grade titled "My Three Wishes."
"The first wish was to get a golden retriever. I got him. His name is Griffy. Santa brought him. My second wish was to be a professional basketball player. I just graduated from Clemson and played basketball there and hopefully I'm on my way to do that. And the third wish was to help kids with cancer," said Tanner Smith.
And that's exactly what he's been doing at hospitals all over the country.
There are $70 worth of items in the bag, all free from Tanner and his supporters. But on this day, leukemia patient James Bostic only cared about one thing in the bag -- the Clemson hat.
"I've been a Clemson fan so as soon as you actually get somebody that is from Clemson, it's like wow, he actually cares about people who are still here in the hospital. It's like wow, he didn't forget," said patient James Bostic.
"It's always funny to get letters back, emails back, of the different things that kids like. And everybody likes one different thing," said Smith.
All of Tanner's wishes are coming true. Tanner says he won't quit, not until all teens know that someone is thinking about them and praying they're back on their feet.
"The main goal is to get them to as many kids as possible and as many different hospitals," said Smith.
To date, Tanner's Totes have been given to more than 3,400 kids in more than 40 hospitals across the country. For more information on how you can help Tanner complete his mission, visit http://www.tannerstotes.com/
