MAROA -Kaleb Snyder raced to the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa last month, and he explored the Roman Colosseum and the Vatican like any energetic, inquisitive 11-year-old.

This was less than a year after Kaleb received a heart transplant

The overseas trip for Kaleb, a sixth-grader; his sister, Ella, 9; and his parents, Katherine and Mark Snyder, was arranged and financed by the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Illinois. Based in Springfield, the foundation grants wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich their human experience with hope, strength and joy.

Their original flight was bogged down by weather conditions, but the Snyders flew to Nice, France, to board the Royal Caribbean ship Voyager of the Seas.

In addition to Pisa and Rome, the tour included visits to Naples and Palermo in Italy and Barcelona, Spain.

Kaleb's first choice was an Alaskan fishing trip. He settled for Italy. "I especially enjoyed the Colosseum," he said.

"It was the trip of a lifetime," his father said.

"Make-A-Wish did everything for us; it was so well-organized," Kaleb's mother said. "The weather was perfect, and it was nice to see the places we've enjoyed on TV."

Kaleb's grandparents, Chuck and Teresa Seitz, had enjoyed a similar Mediterranean trip and recommended it.

Kaleb had a heart transplant Jan. 2 in St. Louis Children's Hospital after a virus damaged his heart beyond repair. He was first hospitalized last Dec. 13 with an apparent asthma attack. A couple of days before, he was well enough to play in a basketball tournament in Warrensburg.

A Berlin Heart device did the pumping for the damaged heart and kept Kaleb breathing until the transplant. "We're thankful for the organ donor, so thankful," Kaleb's mother said.

A cousin of standout University of Illinois football linebacker Brit Miller, Kaleb has dreams of being a linebacker. He also plays baseball and is an A and B student.

He's doing well. He has had four biopsies that showed no rejection of the new heart, his blood work is positive, and he's rebuilding his immunity system. His weight has improved from 88 pounds in the hospital to 137."

He will report for more tests in January. For the rest of his life he will be subject to testing twice a year.

"Sometime in the future we'll be able to meet the heart donor's family and express our appreciation," Kaleb's father said.

The Snyders urge people to join the Donate Life Illinois organ donation registry. The Web site is www.iamareyou.org.

Bfallstrom@herald-review.com|421-7981.