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May 3, 2005 -- MAKE-A-WISH TRIP TO DISNEY WORLD!! WOW! We had the trip of a lifetime!! Katie was treated like a true princess! Our vacation began with a stretch limo picking us up at our home and escorting us to the Philadelphia airport. We met my parents at the airport and were so glad they were able to go with us. As we got off the flight in Orlando, a Give Kids the World volunteer greeted us and helped us get to our minivan. Once we set foot in Give Kids the World Village, the fun began! The kids got gifts and we got our park tickets for Disney World, Sea World and Universal Studios. "Give Kids the World Village is a non-profit resort that creates magical memories for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. Wish-granting organizations coordinate transportation to Orlando, while Give Kids the World provides accommodations at its whimsical resort, attractions tickets and meals for a week-long fantasy vacation." Our villa, which was in a neighborhood-like setting, was an English Tudor style, and the surrounding villas were all different styles and colors. We had two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room, laundry facilities, an eat-in kitchen with all the conveniences of home, a gift basket of goodies and snacks, and a refrigerator stocked with beverages and frozen meals. The bathroom off the kid's room was enormous! It had a whirlpool bathtub and double shower that could fit 4 of us comfortably!! The Village itself was so much fun!! There was horseback riding, horse and carriage rides, fishing in the lake, two heated swimming pools, and a water park. Julie's Safari Theater played the latest movies, and that's where we met some of the Disney and Universal characters. Amberville Train Station had an arcade, a computer room, a lounge with a large-screen TV, pool table, mini boat racing, a game room, miniature golf, a train ride, and a model train in an elaborate setup that you could interact with by pushing buttons to make different things move. There was also a arts and crafts, a playroom, and a beautiful carousel in the Castle of Miracles. (Village Scrapbook) All of the meals we ate in the Village were free. If we missed a meal that was scheduled at the Gingerbread House, we could get a light bite at the Ice Cream Palace, which not only served delicious ice cream from morning 'til night, but served sandwiches and bakery items. We could also order pizza, or a continental breakfast delivered to our villa. Anything we needed, was provided for!!!! The Village has over 990 volunteers and 95 employees. There are 96 villas for wish families (and all were occupied while we were there). There were also families who were put up in Disney hotels because the Village was full. The Village will be expanded during the upcoming year so they can hold more wish families. Everyone was so nice! It is truly a magical place!!! We scheduled a tuck-in one night with Ms. Merry, a big furry rabbit who is also the wife of the big rabbit that runs the Village (Mayor Clayton). She came to our villa and played with the kids by jumping up and down on the bed with them, giving them special cards for sweet dreams, and tucking them into bed. Kyle kept trying to get out of bed, but Ms. Merry finally got him to get under the covers and stay put!! It was so cute. Two days were spent at the Village enjoying the activities and swimming. We spent one day at Sea World and three days at the various Disney parks. We never made it to Universal, so we turned in our tickets for someone else to use. There was just too much to do in too little time. At Sea World, Katie got to be in the VIP section at the dolphin cove. One of the trainers had the dolphins swim up to where Katie was standing so she could pet and feed them. She thought that was lots of fun. The folks at the Disney parks were wonderful and so helpful. They really made this trip a dream-come-true for Katie. Despite the hour or longer waits at most of the attractions, Katie was escorted to the front of the line and given extra special treatment. We also had a special assistance pass that enabled us to take the stroller into places where they were not permitted. This made it great for both kids if Katie didn't want to walk or Kyle was sleeping. There were a couple of rides that Katie loved and once she got off, she wanted to go right back on again. "It's a Small World" was one of them. We got right on with no waiting, and when the first ride was over, we got right back on and did it again!! She was thrilled!!!! Katie wanted to meet some Disney characters at one of the character meeting locations. There were 3 characters in each room with a wait of 45-50 per room. As the kids got their turn, they got a photo taken and an autograph and it's on to the next character. When I told them Katie was a wish child, we were all whisked behind the rooms to a back-door entrance. When we were told we could go in to meet the characters, they closed off the room behind us and Katie got to spend about 5-10 minutes playing, chatting, getting photos and autographs of the characters in each room. It was awesome!!! Katie was giggling and jumping up and down the whole time! Kyle loved meeting Pooh, Tigger and Mickey. He was rolling and crawling on the floor with Tigger and he kept grabbing Mickey's nose. Every time Katie wanted to meet a character, the Disney folks made it a special event for her!! There is so much to tell about this trip. For John and I, it was the first time we weren't worrying about health issues with Katie. We felt so blessed to be able to enjoy this trip together, and we had so much fun!!! It was such a wonderful time for all of us, especially Katie. Since this was her trip, we let Katie decide what we would do each day. Of course at some time during each day, we made a trip to the Ice Cream Palace for some ice cream. A day at the Village is not complete without ice cream!! You can view a slide show of photos taken by the Disney crew by clicking here. We'll be adding our own photos in the upcoming week. Shop at this online shopping mall that supports Give Kids the World <http://www.gktw.onecause.com/> KATIE'S WISH IS NOW A NON-PROFIT!! KATIE'S WISH is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping raise awareness of childhood cancer, giving hope for families who have a child living with cancer, and raising funds for charities that help families effected by cancer. So many people came to our aid over the past two+ years, we wanted a way to express our gratitude. Starting KATIE'S WISH is our way of giving back. We hope to help others facing similar situations as ours through our fundraising efforts and by sharing Katie's story. We are so excited to see that there have been over 10,600 hits on Katie's site since it was created two years ago -- with over 4800 hits in the past 3 months alone!! PLEASE -- I NEED YOUR HELP!!!! Some one out there has to know some one who knows Emeril Lagasse. Katie loves watching his cooking shows. I have been trying for months to contact him and have gotten no response. I've written to his media and marketing departments, his culinary department, the food network, his restaurant in New Orleans, and Good Morning America (he's one of the chefs for the show), and have gotten no response from anyone. It would be such a thrill for her to get a recipe (or 3) from him that she can use in her cookbook. If any can help, I would really appreciate it!! And, it would make Katie SO HAPPY!!! We hope you will take some time over the coming weeks to look at the photos from Katie's OT party and wish trip. Thank you for all your love and support. Please continue to pray that Katie remains in remission. NEXT: May 19, 2005 -- OT visit #2 -- 3 months OT, 12th Annual Wish Classic |
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