WEST CHESTER TWP. - Sometimes 10-year-old Evan Luebbe has an unsteady gait brought on by a rare disease, but all his classmates know he is a fighter.

Hundreds of those classmates secretly gathered Wednesday on the playground of his West Chester Township school to send the Shawnee Elementary fourth-grader off like a champion on a dream trip to New York City.

He'll tour the city and have a private lunch with his sports hero - star NFL running back Tiki Barber - and then watch Barber live in action during Sunday's New York Giants home game.

The all-expenses-paid trip is courtesy of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Ohio, Kentucky & Indiana, which grants wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions.

Evan has Friedreich's Ataxia, a rare degenerative genetic disorder that affects an estimated 150,000 Americans. .

The condition causes progressive damage to the nervous system resulting in symptoms ranging from muscle weakness and speech problems to heart disease.

Chants of "Evan! Evan! Evan!" from more than 400 Shawnee students greeted the boy as he accompanied his mother in their daily walk to the school.

"Oh, he was really surprised," said his mother, Tammy Luebbe of Liberty Township.

"He said, 'Is all this for me?' Then, he wondered if I knew about it."

Evan and his mother smiled broadly as students waved signs saying "Evan, your wish came true!" and chanted "New York! New York! New York!"

"It's all so incredible and overwhelming," Tammy Luebbe said.

"There is so much love for him in this school. He is in a fight but he is not alone."

The honor roll student was diagnosed two years while in the second grade.

"We've tried to all be a family and rally around his family," said Shawnee Principal Erika Simmons.

The school has conducted numerous fundraisers for Evan, whom Simmons described as "a great student and a very sweet spirit."

Evan learned that his wish would be granted Sunday. But the rally was kept a secret by the entire school until he stepped onto the playground.

"I was very surprised," he said.

Evan is eager to have his lunch with Barber, one of the NFL's most charismatic stars, widely known for his charity work.

"I want to talk to him about what it is like to play in the NFL," Evan said.

Fourth-grade classmate Elizabeth Tripp has known Evan for years.

"Not a lot of people get to meet their heroes," she said.

Pictures of Evan and his family on his "Wish"
Evan and the New York Giants
Evan, family, and Tiki Barber eating pizza
Evan giving the Giants a peptalk before the game