To see Roshon dart around his living room in Tarrytown with seemingly not a care in the world, it’s hard to imagine this seven-year-old bundle of energy was near death when he was rushed to the hospital with a stubborn bloody nose and was diagnosed with leukemia.

“He was a very ill boy. They had never seen a kid with a white blood count that high,” said Roshon’s great-grandmother and guardian Phyllis Stewart. “We weren’t sure he was going to live.”

His condition was so grave that the Maria Ferrara Children’s Center referred Roshon to the Hudson Valley Chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation in Tarrytown, which has granted more than 1,700 wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions.

“I thought Make-A-Wish got involved when kids don’t have a chance,” Stewart remarked about a common misconception that Make-A-Wish has been working to change.

According to Make-A-Wish Foundation literature, “We are not a ‘last wish’ organization; in fact we see the process of making a wish as life-affirming and full of hope. Families tell us that a wish can encourage a child to fight for a future, often against tremendous odds, when courage and hope are flagging.”

For Roshon, who was six when the cancer was discovered, his wishes were wide-ranging, from having a pizza man show him and his friends how to make a pizza and visiting an aunt in Milwaukee to getting a cat and having his room redecorated.

“He understood he should choose something close,” Stewart said. “He always had a bed in my room since he was six months old. They’re (Make-A-Wish) wonderful. They got to know him and they knew he would love it.”

Having settled on redecorating his room, Make-A-Wish went to work, with the help of Bed Bath and Beyond and community members, such as Joe McCarthy and Robert Derivan of the Tarrytown Fire Department. Rockland County artist Joe Calandra painted a large mural of a tree with a cat, which Roshon named “Milky.” The project, which began in December, took about a month to complete.

“That tree looks like it’s real,” Roshon gushed while leaning on his new bed.

“He loves it. It’s like having a full-time, year-round Santa,” Stewart said of the toys and other gifts Make-A-Wish has provided. “I think it’s wonderful. I like to see him happy.”

Stewart said Roshon has remained strong through radiation and chemotherapy treatments, which are now only once a month, and the leukemia is currently in remission.

“I’m certainly hopeful. Everything can be fine and all of a sudden he has a fever and we’re in turmoil again,”she said. “He’s doing much better. The doctor says he can have a cat, which is a big step. I’m very optimistic.”

Roshon, who is home tutored three days a week, is anxious to return to school as a second grader at Morse School. During the worst of times, Stewart said she was comforted by the support she and Roshon received from John Paulding Elementary School, especially Principal Marilyn Mercado-Belvin.

“That was probably the only way I survived the first six months. I am so grateful to them,” Stewart said. “The support I got, it was nothing I expected from any school. The kids wrote cards all the time. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Mercado-Belvin has a special place in her heart for Make-A-Wish. Three years ago, her son, James, now 21, was diagnosed with brain cancer while a senior in high school. Through Make-A-Wish, the family was able to take a trip to London. Today, James is fine and studying sociology at SUNY New Paltz.

“Make-A-Wish made it happen. They are an incredible organization. It keeps you believing,” she said. “It’s a miracle. It really is. We are very fortunate that we have a chapter in our area.”

She said the school community was happy to help Roshon and Stewart since when he was diagnosed with leukemia he was new to the school system.

“Roshon is a very endearing little boy. All Roshon has to do is smile and he melts your heart,” she said. “She’s (Stewart) just a special lady. We couldn’t do enough for her. We’re happy that things are working out.”

Anyone who would like to refer a child, volunteer or make a donation to the Make-A-Wish Foundation can call (914) 478-9474 or visit www.hudson.wish.org