I hope I'm not spoiling a surprise for your Trip Report, but I was so excited to see this video on Facebook today! http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1212871053023&ref=share
I went, "Hey, I know them!". Not really, but kinda feels like it.
cried like a baby when we finally decided we couldn't go (9 hours before the limo was supposed to arrive), but we're doing better now. Thank you all for the kind words. I may have possibly
I guess it's also good info to have out there for future wish trippers: be sure to have the Wish Organization's emergency number with you before your trip in case anything happens and you need to cancel. We felt just terrible about doing it, but they were very nice.
We are looking at November if there is any space at GKTW. I guess now I need to figure out what things are like there in November.
a little extra pixie dust for good luck & a wonderful trip 
Thank you all for the kind words. I may have possibly
I guess it's also good info to have out there for future wish trippers: be sure to have the Wish Organization's emergency number with you before your trip in case anything happens and you need to cancel. We felt just terrible about doing it, but they were very nice.
We are looking at November if there is any space at GKTW. I guess now I need to figure out what things are like there in November.
Well worth waiting a little extra time!! There are lots of cool things to do for the holidays and things you can't see any other time of the year. 
Welcome! I can't wait to hear about Maddie's trip! I hope the chemo continues to go well!We finally got our dates and we are staying at GKTW..Feb 28 - March 6. It seems so far away.
I am going to try to start a PTR very soon. In the meantime I will introduce my family. I have my husband Mark, he is my rock. We seem to balance each other out with the stress of having a sick child. I also have DS Adam, he is 11 and my food shoppng buddy.
here is a picture of my wish child Maddie on her 4th birthday in August. She was diagnosed wi th Rhabdomyosarcoma in her right sinus and nasal cavity on April 27, 2009. She started her 1st chemo on May 1. We were sent to Boston 4 weeks later for radiation treatments for 8 weeks. She will continue to have chemo until the end of January. We decided to wait until she was done treatment and make her trip a celebration for her.
We will send some prayers your way too!
Most of you guys know that I have been doing research on the swine flu and keeping up with the news, because of Lauren and Rachel and work responsibilities.
New guidelines were released by the CDC just an hour or so ago.
There are MANY of you guys that are sick with flu like symptoms, but the healthcare providers are calling it something else. Many people I know have had a negative flu test, so they are presumed to NOT have the flu and not getting treated with antivirals because of a negative test result.
Here are the new guidelines:
The CDC has released an advisory...I have bolded parts of this...
Link to source:
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/recommendations.htm
"Recommendations for Early Empiric Antiviral Treatment in Persons with Suspected Influenza who are at Increased Risk of Developing Severe Disease
Summary Recommendations: When treatment of influenza is indicated in a patient with suspected influenza, health care providers should initiate empiric antiviral treatment as soon as possible. Waiting for laboratory confirmation of influenza to begin treatment with antiviral drugs is not necessary. Patients with a negative rapid influenza diagnostic test should be considered for treatment if clinically indicated because a negative rapid influenza test result does not rule out influenza virus infection. The sensitivity of rapid influenza diagnostic tests for 2009 H1N1 virus can range from 10% to 70%, indicating that false negative results occur frequently.
***
Early empiric treatment should be considered for persons with suspected or confirmed influenza who are at higher risk for complications, even if not hospitalized, including:
o Children younger than 2 years old
o Adults 65 years and older
o Pregnant women
o Persons with the following conditions:
· Chronic pulmonary (including asthma), cardiovascular (except hypertension), renal, hepatic, hematological (including sickle cell disease), or metabolic disorders (including diabetes mellitus);
· Disorders that that can compromise respiratory function or the handling of respiratory secretions or that can increase the risk for aspiration (e.g., cognitive dysfunction, spinal cord injuries, seizure disorders, or other neuromuscular disorders)
· Immunosuppression, including that caused by medications or by HIV;
· Persons younger than 19 years of age who are receiving long-term aspirin therapy, because of an increased risk for Reye syndrome.
I am concerned for our wish kids and their families. I hope that everyone sees this and passes it on to your circle of influence, too. I am hoping with the new guildelines that providers will start prescribing more Tamiflu and hopefully help prevent some of the deaths we have seen so far in the flu season.
Hugs to all of you!
