{When You Wish Upon A Star – Trip to Disney World January 2016}
On average, Make-A-Wish foundation grants a child a wish every 38 minutes. The wishes are granted to children with a life threatening illness. No one dreams of having a “wish child” one day, but if you do have a child with a life threatening illness…having their wish granted is an absolute dream come true!! Sayla is non-verbal, but it is obvious how much she enjoys her Disney Junior shows, Frozen, sing-a-longs, being around lots of people, and getting special attention. (Duh, she’s my child) Therefore, Disney World became THE wish! It was a long process of paperwork, planning, logistics, and scheduling, but our Wish Coordinator was amazing and set it all up. We decided to split the week in half between Sayla’s father and me. That way, we could have our own time with her which involved our extended family as well. Miss Peggy (Sayla’s home health nurse), Patrick (Step father a.k.a. P Diddy), Sayla, and I traveled together. Then Nini and Pappy (my parents) met us in Florida.
Day 1: Travel Day
I had lists on lists on lists to prep and pack for this trip. Sayla has a lot of supplies, medications, coordinating outfits, and necessary accessories – which totally put us over the luggage weight limit. The limo arrived at our house that evening to take Peggy, P Diddy, Sayla, and I to the airport. A soon as Sayla got in the limo, she was ecstatic. She was laughing hysterically! I’m not sure if she could feel our excitement vibes, or if she thought she was big stuff not having to ride in her car seat.
After arriving to the airport and checking our bags, the airport gave Sayla a “goody bag” with cookies, water, toy airplane, sunglasses, coupons, and more. They escorted us to the front of the security check and offered assistance if needed. When it was time to board, they let Patrick on first to get the car seat in place, then helped Peggy and I take Sayla to the plane. The flight attendant asked if Sayla would like to meet the pilot, so she got to go into the cock pit and take a pic. Please note the snow on the ground, and know how excited we were to leave it!
During the flight attendant’s safety overview, she welcomed Sayla to the flight and wished her a wonderful “wish trip to Disney!” The whole plane erupted in clapping and cheering. This, as you can imagine, started the waterworks…
This was Miss Peggy’s first time flying, and she did great. She loved it except for the landing. Sayla hasn’t flown in almost 5 years, but she did great as well. Mommy and Diddy got complimentary drinks, CHEERS! We flew into a smaller airport in Orlando which is about an hour away form where we were staying. As we arrived in baggage claim, there was a lovely couple waiting with Sayla’s name on it to help us with our luggage and then get us set up with our rental van for the week.
This couple were volunteers from Give Kids The World (GKTW…our home for the week*). We got loaded up in the van and drove to GKTW. Upon arrival it was close to midnight and we were exhausted, and hungry, but so excited to be there! They took us to our villa, and had food waiting for us. Sayla had a Mickey Mouse waiting for her and she promptly cuddled with him and fell fast asleep. Stay tuned for Day 2 adventures…
*Give Kids The World Village is a 79-acre, nonprofit “storybook” resort in Central Florida. Here, children with life-threatening illnesses and their families are treated to week long, cost-free vacations. If you get a chance, please read the history of how this place came to be…it is absolutely inspiring. (www.gktw.org)
