The hardest part, Mike Weiss said, was keeping his mouth shut.
About a month ago, he secretly nominated his wife, Dawn, for the "Mom's Dream Come True" on the "Live with Regis and Kelly" show. The segment airs around Mother's Day and honors people who have "gone above and beyond" for their families or their communities.
In his nomination letter, Mike Weiss called his wife his "hero."
In May 2007, Dawn Weiss was shot five times while trying to flee with her two daughters, then ages 9 and 6, from four armed robbers at a house on Redmon Road in Norfolk. Some of the bullets hit her spinal cord, paralyzing her from the chest down.
"Her story is not of the tragedy she faced," Weiss wrote. "It is about her strength, courage, and determination to live life to the fullest; it is about her never giving up and fighting each day to overcome what you or I may take for granted."
Within a week of receiving his letter, producers from the show called him. Out of more than 10,000 entries, the Weisses and four other families were selected. They asked him to help set up the surprise, Weiss said.
"You see this stuff happen and you don't think it's going to happen to you," Weiss said. "It was so hard not to tell her."
The Weisses received a number of gifts from the show but were sworn to secrecy about most of them until the segment airs this morning, starting at 9 a.m. on ABC.
The surprises began about two weeks ago at the Weisses' home in Ocala, Fla., where they moved after the shooting so Dawn's parents could help in her recovery.
Mike, an Army sergeant first class, recruited soldiers from his unit and a reserve group. Then they sang a cadence outside the house to tell Dawn that she had been selected for the show.
That's also when they told her that she and her family would be going on a Disney cruise. The show also arranged for Dawn, Mike and the girls, Kayla, now 10, and Destyni, now 7, to fly to New York City for additional taping.
Hosts Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa surprised them with additional gifts at the Wednesday taping. The Weisses seemed dazed by the experience.
"It was amazing," Dawn Weiss said. "It was a lot to take in at one time."
Added Mike Weiss: "I can't believe what they did for us. "I didn't know what to think. I felt like my mouth was on the floor and flies were going in it."
The Weisses said Philbin and Ripa were gracious hosts. Dawn Weiss said she spoke with Ripa at length, and that they shared stories about their children.
"She talked a lot about how brave I was to say what I did," Weiss said.
Michael Gelman, the show's executive producer, said the "Mom's Dream Come True" segment has been a feature on the show for about 18 years.
"We're really looking for letters that move us," Gelman said, "letters that we realistically can help people."
Mike Weiss' letter was eloquent, he said, and the ordeal Dawn suffered is the stuff of nightmares. That's part of the reason the show gave them the largest gift in the history of the "Mom's Dream Come True" segment, he said.
Gelman said Philbin and Ripa love the "Mom's Dream" show.
"Seeing people that are being surprised with such a fantastic, life-changing gift, to see their reaction is unbelievable," Gelman said.
Michelle Washington, (757) 446-2287, michelle.washington@pilotonline.com
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