RUMFORD – It was a special day for Rumford Elementary School fourth-grader Tyler Daigle.

Not only was he serenaded by two kindergarten girls, but the wheelchair-bound boy’s entry into the cafeteria Friday was through a gantlet of mirth: two rows of schoolmates wielding toilet paper- and rag-covered sticks held overhead in an arch.

Then, there were the 230 other schoolmates, and about 20 teachers and administrators, all chanting, “Ty-ler! Ty-ler! Ty-ler!” at the top of their lungs.

Daigle, the son of Sue Grace and Greg Daigle of Rumford, was stunned and touched by the camaraderie on the eve of his week-long trip to Little Tokyo in Los Angeles, Calif.

The trip – made possible by a wish granted to Daigle by Maine’s Make A Wish Foundation in Portland – took a backseat to events Friday afternoon at the school.

Elementary school Principal Anne Chamberlin gave him an orange backpack stuffed with items for the trip as a present from school staff.

Kindergarten student Stacey Roberts sat in a chair beside him – in front of 249 school mates seated on the cafeteria floor – and strummed a small guitar while classmate Shania Jones sang “When You Wish Upon A Star.”

Afterward, everyone joined Grace to sing the song again for Daigle, who gave them all an excited thumbs-up signal with both fists clenched together.

Grace said her son is afflicted with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a life-threatening disease.

At the age of five, he was diagnosed with the genetic disorder, which is characterized by progressive muscle wasting and weakness.

According to the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the disease gradually weakens the skeletal or voluntary muscles in the arms, legs and trunk. By the early teens or earlier, the disorder can also affect heart and respiratory muscles.

Although Tyler is confined to a wheelchair, Grace said he can swim well and loves to play video games, especially DragonBallz, a martial arts action game.

His favorite school subjects are science, math and reading.

Though he couldn’t say why, Tyler said he likes martial arts, especially ninjitsu. His mother said he has studied Japanese culture, and enjoys sumo wrestling.

That was the reasoning behind his wish to see sumo wrestlers, real Samurai swords and to eat sushi, she said.

“I was amazed at his wish, because it’s so unique,” said Pattie Gallant, event coordinator of Maine’s Make A Wish Foundation. “We’ve never had a sumo wrestling wish before.”

She was also stunned by the amount of money – $1,830.46 – that the elementary school’s Student Council raised and donated Friday to Maine’s Make A Wish Foundation.

“I never heard of a group of students or school who worked so hard for one of their classmates. It costs $5,000 on average to grant a wish in Maine, and every penny of this goes to Tyler’s wish,” Gallant said.

Tyler, Grace, and the rosy-cheeked boy’s friend, Michael George, embarked Saturday from Portland to mingle with sumo wrestlers at the fourth annual U.S. Sumo Open at the Otani Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.

Tyler also said he was looking forward to going to Universal Studios in California to see the Marvel superheroes theme park.