September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month Day 18-19: After the holidays our social worker approached us about Make-A-Wish. We were a little hesitant at first because this was another reminder of the seriousness of Caitlin’s diagnosis. However, after speaking to MAW and being assigned a wonderful married couple as wish granters, the idea of letting Caitlin choose a wish felt right. With that said, having a four year old attempt to make a decision when the sky’s the limit is no small task! After talking and listening to Caitlin, we narrowed her choice down to a Disney trip. We were thinking Disneyland, but were told that wasn’t “special enough.” If Caitlin wanted a Disney trip, they were sending us to Disney World. Our vacation was planned for the week of Easter. Most families who choose a Disney World wish stay at Give Kids the World, a special resort created for wish families. The village consists of condo type homes, a restaurant, ice cream parlor, miniature golf, a pool and splash pad, etc. While we spent a lot of time there, our family stayed at the Disney Polynesian Resort because GKTW was full. We loved our time at GKTW. Caitlin rode the merry-go-round over and over, Caleb ate his weight in strawberry shakes, and we all loved the night the Disney artists visited, and celebrating Christmas complete with Santa, Mrs. Claus, and snow in Florida. Wish kids are identified by a special button they wear. At the time of her wish, Caitlin was a huge fan of Bear and the Big Blue House. We were excited there was a live show, and Caitlin loved it. Afterwards she wanted to meet Bear. I asked a cast member if it would be possible to arrange a quick hello, and she politely told me he doesn’t meet with the public, then she spotted Caitlin’s magic button and quickly said she’d be right back. Our family was standing in the now empty theater and out came Bear. It was awesome. We were so grateful they would make this exception. The same type of thing happened on Easter Sunday. We decided we’d go to the Grand Floridian for the Princess Breakfast, but once we got there, we could see they were full and there was a long line of people still waiting to get in even though it was rather late in the morning. Clint asked a hostess if they were taking reservations and she said no. Right about that time Caleb, Caitlin, and I walked in and one look at the button got us a table within minutes and the offer of a special picture of Caitlin taken with all the princesses. Although the parks were full due to Easter/Spring vacations, we were allowed to ride our favorite rides as many times as we wanted without getting off, and when the kids wanted to meet a character, they were taken to the front of the line. We have so many wonderful memories of this week in Disney World. It was such a gift. When we talk about this vacation all our memories revolve around how special we were treated and how happy we felt. It was the perfect wish.
Posted on: Thu, 19 Sep 2013 22:43:29 +0000
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