TinkerBella's WISH comes true! A Make a Wish now TRIP Report!! May10-May 20, 2008 :-)

[Queenie122]

Hi Everyone! So I'm new to this whole report thing but I figured after all the amazing WISH trip reports I have read from those who have gone before, I owe one to all those who will come after us. We're going to *attempt* to do some live reports while we're down in Florida but no guarantees! I hear there is only dial up in the Villas

This trip is my DD's Make a Wish trip - her wish is to "Dance with the Princesses" and "See Cinderella Castle." I'm hoping we can make that come true!

So, let's start this off with our cast of characters.

Me, 34 I'm a stay at home Mom who loves her job I have some of my own medical issues to deal with so between DD and myself we are always at one doctor or another. HUGE Disney fan! I have family that lives in Orlando so over the years have been lucky to visit many times and most of them got into the parks for free or at a discount!


DH, 33 Does computer type stuff for work. Loves to play games and works for some gaming companies on the side in exchange for their products (works out for all of us!). Works very hard here at home to take care of his girls

DD, 3 1/2 Our miracle girl, Arabella, and this is her WISH trip. She's come a long way baby! See her story below.

DM, 57 (heh, I'm so bad!) No, seriously, my Mom has been a saving grace through all of this and I really think this ordeal has brought us closer together.

DB, 26 Lives here in the house with us. Is very much looking forward to enjoying this trip and adores his niece, so just seeing her happy will make it all worthwhile!


DD was born at 25 weeks gestation in Massachusetts (we live in New York) while we were away on vacation. She was 660 grams (1 pound, 10 ounces) and 13 inches long. Born with VACTRYL Syndrome, which is a collection of abnormalities, the most serious being a pinch in her airway to one of her lungs. This led to her needing a trach and needing long term vent support so also needed a feeding tube which she still has. She also had problems with her heart (healed on their own), her eyes (needed laser eye surgery), had an extra digit (had surgery to remove an extra thumb, still working on her hand issues). She also has a partial extra rib so we need to keep a close eye on her developing scoliosis. All in all, we were fairly lucky with the things wrong with her, most have been corrected or are under control. Because of all of this she spent the first 53 weeks of life in the hospital, 14 days in NICU in Mass, transfered her to a hospital closer to us where she stayed for 4 1/2 months, then to a Children's Hospital about 65 miles away for the last 7 months. We are still working on her physical issues from being in the hospital so long - when she came home at a year old she couldn't even sit up or eat anything by mouth and even today her muscles are weak. Thank God her trach is long gone, she got it out when she was 2 1/2. Still working on her feeding issues, that looks to be pretty long term.

Otherwise she is a very intelligent, happy and laid back little girl!

Our trip is planned for May 10th - May 20th, 2008 and we are all SO super excited. I can not tell you how much we all desperately NEED this trip. I have lots of planning done already and have been keeping decent track of the process and what has happened already. I'll share it all here over the next bunch of days. I hope someone reads and / or enjoys this!!!

Here's some pictures to get us started.

DD at Halloween - it's TinkerBella!!

Here's me, DH and DD all Disneyified!

Finally... DD with her special MAW bear.

 

[Artist]

Your daughter is a cutie! Can't wait to read more.

 

[Queenie122]

Your daughter is a cutie! Can't wait to read more.

Thank you! We like to think so but of course, we're biased

 

[5dwarves]

Great job Queenie! I know it is a little intimidating to commit to doing a TR, but once you get started, you will really find it is a lot of fun and cathartic. Looking forward to seeing your NICU baby's wish fulfilled. 53 weeks in the NICU...you are a trooper! We only did 11 and it felt like forever. So glad to hear that things are resolving for little Bella (love the name!). I'll be here for the TR...looking forward to it!

~Elisa

 

[jmskinner]

Arabella is beautiful. Keep us updated.

 

[Iluvmickeymouse!]

Great job so far!!!! You are doing great! Bella is a cutie! It's nice to put faces to names now! I can't wait to read more!

 

[Queenie122]

Great job Queenie! I know it is a little intimidating to commit to doing a TR, but once you get started, you will really find it is a lot of fun and cathartic. Looking forward to seeing your NICU baby's wish fulfilled. 53 weeks in the NICU...you are a trooper! We only did 11 and it felt like forever. So glad to hear that things are resolving for little Bella (love the name!). I'll be here for the TR...looking forward to it!

~Elisa

It is intimidating! But I still feel so lucky that one of hubby's coworkers (HUGE Disney fanatic) recommended the site for me, I have learned so much! Not just about Disney and all the things that have changed since I've been there but also all the special Wish stuff. It seems that a lot of us with special needs children learn to do a lot of planning (okay, I admit, I was like this before too!! ) and let's just say I'd be freaking out right now without having read the other trip reports and knowing what to expect! So I sort of didn't feel like I had a choice - but it's all good. You're right, I am enjoying it!

Those 53 weeks in the hospital were not the high point of my life, I'll tell you that. But I am blessed to have my DD and every day I feel SO SO SO lucky that she decided to stick around (on top of the disadvantages she was born with she was very ill three times during her course in the hospital stay when we didn't know if she would). And that she is a loving, sweet, kind, silly, intelligent, huggy, kissy, singy little girl is my payback

Arabella is beautiful. Keep us updated.

Thank you and I'll try my best!!

Great job so far!!!! You are doing great! Bella is a cutie! It's nice to put faces to names now! I can't wait to read more!

Thank you!

I know, it's much better putting faces to names! I always have a thing about photos that makes someone go from an acquaintance to a friend once you've seen what they look like

Would you mind if I steal your link in your sig for the Wish Trippers Unite page? I think it would be good to have it

 

[Queenie122]

One note - Some of this I am stealing off a blog I've set up for my family to read this whole process so in places it may be written for someone who knows nothing about having a Wish fulfilled or *gasp* Disney I know, there are actually some people like that out there!!! Hopefully this will give a n00bie to Disney or having a Wish fulfilled enough info to get them excited. I'm no expert on either but I'll try my best!

On to our Wish story:

For quite some time people have been telling me, “You should contact Make a Wish for Bella.” I kept saying, “But she’s not terminally ill (thank God).” I kept putting it off, no good reason really. Finally, when the 50th person said this to me I kinda said, “Fine! Once we get turned down then I can tell people to stop bugging me about it!” lol. Sorta like that. People weren’t really bugging me, it was just who wants to get their hopes up with dreams of something amazing that won’t happen - over and over? Considering we were referred by a ton of medical professionals (and my mom) I decided to proceed.

So, I did some research online and filled out the form. This was early December 2007. A couple of weeks went by and I didn’t think on it. Then we got a phone call from Cynthia from the Suffolk County Make a Wish Foundation. I voiced my concerns from the beginning and she said, “No, not necessarily terminally ill children but children who have been through or are going through a life threatening experience.” Now, Bella not only had a life threatening experience, the entire start to her life, but it was fairly prolonged. So I went “Huh… yeah, that’s her.”

She went over the process with me. The first step is that you need a doctor to fill out the qualifying paperwork. This *should* be the first step really, why meet with a team and get your child’s hopes up? I gave two doctors names and phone numbers for them to send the paperwork to. Then I again put it out of my head, after all, who knows how long the doctors would take or if we didn’t qualify would we even know?

January 24th, 2008 the phone rings and the Make a Wish name comes up on caller ID. Suddenly my heart leaps into my chest. I am assuming I’m going to find out one way or the other what’s going on. It’s Cynthia. She wanted to let us know that Bella qualified for a wish!! I was trying so hard not to cry into the phone, I just got very overwhelmed. Through this whole thing ordeal we’ve had to be very strong and hold our feelings in but now this was something so positive, so good, a lot of feelings just started coming out. She said that within the next couple of weeks we would hear from our team, they would come and ask Bella what she wanted for her one special Wish!

DH and I started thinking about it back in December, we didn’t want to get hopes up but we also wondered what Bella’s wish might be. Of course the very first thing that comes to mind is Princesses. Disney Princesses to be exact. She loves everything about them - their movies, the dolls, the clothes, the MUSIC. Everything. She also loves the Fairies - Tinkerbell and her friends from the upcoming movie. So, where can we make all these things happen?

I asked Bella, “If you could have one, very special wish honey, what would it be?” “A SURPRISE!!!!” she yelled at me. Okay, let’s try again. On the second try we got “PRINCESSES!!!!!!!!” Well, Mommy and Daddy know best, right? lol

So, we had our start. Bella was going to be wishing for a trip to the most magical place on earth - Disney World. Now we just had to make her wish official!

 

[5dwarves]

Those 53 weeks in the hospital were not the high point of my life, I'll tell you that. But I am blessed to have my DD and every day I feel SO SO SO lucky that she decided to stick around (on top of the disadvantages she was born with she was very ill three times during her course in the hospital stay when we didn't know if she would). And that she is a loving, sweet, kind, silly, intelligent, huggy, kissy, singy little girl is my payback

Would you mind if I steal your link in your sig for the Wish Trippers Unite page? I think it would be good to have it

Queenie....

I LOVE the description of your daughter...especially the "singy" part...LOL. I have boys so we don't get serenaded often. Over Easter we met my sister and her family (4 girls) in Gatlinburg and we got to hear alot of the "singy" stuff....Hannah Montana songs take on a whole new meaning when they are being belted out by a 2 year old...LOL. I am so glad that you have the attitude and realization that every day is a gift and a blessing.

Feel free to steal the link....I had to go to the tech boards to do a refresher course myself. I think the Disboards are the best place for wish families with uber planning mommas! It was recommended to me by an aquaintance with a son who had Aspbergers. It was the best advice I received!

~Elisa

 

[Artist]

Ok, so now I'm snuffling and crying with happiness for you and Bella. And your PTR is just starting!
Sniff!

 

[Queenie122]

Queenie....

I LOVE the description of your daughter...especially the "singy" part...LOL. I have boys so we don't get serenaded often. Over Easter we met my sister and her family (4 girls) in Gatlinburg and we got to hear alot of the "singy" stuff....Hannah Montana songs take on a whole new meaning when they are being belted out by a 2 year old...LOL. I am so glad that you have the attitude and realization that every day is a gift and a blessing.

Feel free to steal the link....I had to go to the tech boards to do a refresher course myself. I think the Disboards are the best place for wish families with uber planning mommas! It was recommended to me by an aquaintance with a son who had Aspbergers. It was the best advice I received!

~Elisa

We haven't graduated to Hannah Montana yet... and I know, yet... lol. She has 4 Disney Sing Along Song and 3 Princess Sing Along Song DVDS so we have a wealth of fun and sometimes weird (like the Camp singalong ) to be entertained with.

And thank you, I do try to keep a good attitude, it's what helped get me through and continues to help get me through each day! This board has really opened my horizons with my Disney info and I'm so excited to go on this trip with my wealth of new information. It'll be like experiencing everything brand new again.

Ok, so now I'm snuffling and crying with happiness for you and Bella. And your PTR is just starting!
Sniff!

Thank you!

 

[Queenie122]

So, onto our next installment... What Comes Next...

So, we wait and wait to hear from our Wish team. Of course, the two weeks seem to take two years! We finally get the call from Michele, she’s going to be coming to the house to meet Bella with “her friend Diane” as Bella calls them. Michele gets some basic info from us and says she will contact the Wish team and get back to us with a date. Not even an hour later we have our meeting set up for a Tuesday night. We’re so excited!

Of course, the way life works, we actually get snow that day (in one of only two lame snowfalls this year!) and we have to cancel. We were disappointed, Bella cried when she heard her friends weren’t coming over. I think it was for the best though, she seemed pretty cranky that day and for some reason suddenly kept saying she wanted books as her wish. Of course if we really thought that was her wish it would have been fine, but the 500 books currently in her room might have been jealous :-/

LOL. Anyway the meeting was rescheduled to Saturday. Saturday morning comes and Bella decides she wants to wear her Princess jumper. Appropriate! We had her Halloween pictures and some drawings and art work she had made gathered up as gifts. She drew Cinderella and also a picture of herself. She loves stickers so she decorated her art work with lots of stickers.

Michele and Diane came and as we said our hellos I noticed that Bella had suddenly become… shy! She’s never shy! Oh boy. But they came in bearing gifts for Miss Bella, including a very beautiful and special teddy bear with a Make A Wish sweater, a baby doll almost as huge as her and two princess crowns. She proceeded to retrieve her Tinkerbell crown from her Halloween costume and Mommy, Daddy and Bella all wore crowns for the rest of the meeting. Rob and I had a ton of paperwork to fill out, release forms for Make A Wish and also the Village where we would be staying in Florida.

Then came the questions for Bella to answer. She said her favorite color is orange (today it’s brown, yesterday it was red) and that she is three years old. Then they asked her, “Is there someplace special you’d like to go?” and she said, “DISNEY WORLD!!!! I want to dance with the Princesses and see Cinderella Castle!!!”

Her official wish is to “Dance with the Princesses.” How cute. I hope we can get a couple of them to comply

When our meeting was over Michele said they would submit the paperwork and we would be hearing from them soon. DH and I started mulling over dates - when could he take off of work and for how long? What times did we want to avoid because it was too crowded / hot? Could my Mom, Dad or DB (who lives with me) come along? So many questions but all exciting things. We said April would be nice, especially since Easter is early this year, hopefully avoid some crowds. We could barely contain our excitement! We stayed up late a couple of nights chatting about Disney and what things we’d want to do while we were there. Every day Bella wanted to know if we were going on our trip!

 

[Queenie122]

It was only a couple of days until we heard from Joanne. She wanted to go over dates with me right there on the phone. We had already figured DH’s vacation - his boss is on vacation the beginning of May so that was out but otherwise we were good to go.

Joanne informed me that Give Kids the World Village was totally booked up in April and that it is a very busy time for them. How was May? Now, we figured that May would be too hot for us. We don’t do well in the heat, especially when it’s over 90F degrees. But we had some personal reasons for not wanting to wait until October / November. It would be a really nice time of year (although May and October’s weather is the same) but the waiting wasn’t really working for us. So we took a chance and said yes to May.

Joanne went over the dates available and kindly answered some burning questions including: Can we extend our vacation on our dime? Yes. Can my Mom and brother come along on their own dime? Yes… but Mom is being paid for because they normally plan for a family of 4 and we only have three. Yay! And brother doesn’t have to pay to stay at the Village or for the car (already paid for by MAW). So tickets, airfare and food when not at the Village. Not too shabby! (And for the record, MAW asked how we wanted to arrange his ticket. We had the option of getting his ticket ourselves or they would get it and take it out of our expense money. We opted for that with the clear understanding from my DB that would have to be paid before the trip. It's paid already!!). We contacted DAunt who has given us an open invitation to come and stay with her (she lives in Orlando) and she said it would be great to stay with her. Mom and DB checked their calendars for vacation. DH double checked his. Everything was in place!

I called Joanne the next day and we booked our trip - Saturday May 10th to Tuesday May 20th. DM and DB would be leaving on Sunday the 18th. Holy cow, it’s happening!!

Then began the crazy process of figuring out who wanted to do what and when, we had a family meeting to discuss this (as well as “rules” that I need to make sure everyone knows. Rule #1 is “No complaining!”). I worked up a complicated chart of which days were best and what parks based on crowd history and park hours available. I hemmed and hawed over which meals we wanted to eat out and which meals we would make it back to the Village for. Then I called Disney Dining about 10 times to see what reservations we could sneak in at three months out. I had trouble with some, had to adjust some dining times but we got everything we wanted except for Chef Mickey’s and of course, Cinderella’s Royal Table (the hottest ressie in all of Disney, you have to book this at 7am est exactly 180 out from the date you want to visit. It sells out in MINUTES). Cindy's Table was replaced with 1900 Park Fare, another Cinderella meal. I don’t think Bella will even know she’s not eating in Cinderella’s Castle (although the competitive part of me thinks I can convince them to squeeze in our Wish child on site the day we are there) and will be in heaven over all we have planned for her. All her little (and BIG) dreams are going to come true!!

(I’ve been having some thoughts about this - she has been given so many special opportunities that she’s growing up in a world where dreams really do come true. I hope one day she realizes how lucky she’s been - And not too spoiled!!!)

Up next: What we will be getting!!

 

[5dwarves]

Then I called Disney Dining about 10 times to see what reservations we could sneak in at three months out. I had trouble with some, had to adjust some dining times but we got everything we wanted except for Chef Mickey’s and of course, Cinderella’s Royal Table (the hottest ressie in all of Disney, you have to book this at 7am est exactly 180 out from the date you want to visit. It sells out in MINUTES). Cindy's Table was replaced with 1900 Park Fare, another Cinderella meal. I don’t think Bella will even know she’s not eating in Cinderella’s Castle (although the competitive part of me thinks I can convince them to squeeze in our Wish child on site the day we are there) and will be in heaven over all we have planned for her. All her little (and BIG) dreams are going to come true!!

Wendygrace went up to the podium when they first got to MK, complete with MAW buttons, GKTW buttons and the GAC hanging around her neck and asked if there was anyway they could get it...explaining that their wish was recently granted and they didn't have the opportunity to hit the 6 month 7:00am call in for ressies. The CM stepped away from the podium and then came back and said that they would be able to accomodate them. If you really want CRT, it might be possible. Never hurts to try.

 

[Queenie122]

Wendygrace went up to the podium when they first got to MK, complete with MAW buttons, GKTW buttons and the GAC hanging around her neck and asked if there was anyway they could get it...explaining that their wish was recently granted and they didn't have the opportunity to hit the 6 month 7:00am call in for ressies. The CM stepped away from the podium and then came back and said that they would be able to accomodate them. If you really want CRT, it might be possible. Never hurts to try.

I do remember that! I'm very happy with going to Park Fare but everyone wants to eat in the castle, right? I may try for lunch that day

And you're very right, it never hurts to ask.

 

[Queenie122]

This is the super exciting and fun part - The Details. It’s really unbelievable what they do for these Wish children.

We are staying at Give Kids the World Village. It’s a whole community just for children being granted a Wish. It’s supported by many different corporations including but not limited to Disney, Universal, Seaworld, Hasbro, Perkin’s, Friendly’s and Coca Cola. They have put together a beautiful place full of love and life for these special children, a retreat from the harsh daily realties they live with. Check it out here: http://www.gktw.org It’s about 15 minutes from Disney World / Seaworld.

We’ll have a two bedroom, two bathroom villa with a kitchen and living room, jacuzzi tub and even a washer and dryer! Food is no cost there and the restaurant is called the Gingerbread House. Guess what it looks like? Buffet style and full of volunteers who don’t even let you carry your tray to your table! Perkin’s runs the restaurant and we’re all looking forward to breakfast every day. They also have ice cream from 7am until 10pm and that is run by Friendly’s - which also provides lunch each day. Yum!! Pizza delivery to your villa is also available free of charge. If you don’t want to get to breakfast at the restaurant or the Ice Cream Shoppe (lol) then they have a cart that comes around to all the houses with continental breakfast.

They also have a carousel, horse and pony rides, a huge train to ride on, mini golf, a castle full of games, toys and costumes for the kids, two pools and a water works. They have a movie theater that shows movies every night with a full concession stand. The movie theater is also a stage for meeting characters - Disney and Universal ship them right to the Village! Here is what the daily schedule looks like there:

Sunday
Movie 5:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m.
CANDY LAND Party 7:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m.

Monday
Disney Character Photos 8:00 a.m. & 9:00 a.m.
Discovery Cove Animal Exploration 6:45 p.m.–7:30 p.m
Kids Night Out/Grown-ups Night Off 5:45 p.m.–9:00 p.m.

Tuesday
Horse Back Riding 8:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.
Movie 5:00 p.m.
Nickelodeon Night 7:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m.

Wednesday
Horse Back Riding 8:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.
Kids Night Out/Grown-ups Night Off 5:45 p.m.–9:00 p.m.
Village Idol 7:45 p.m.–9:00 p.m.

Thursday
Disney Character Photos 8:00 a.m. & 9:00 a.m.
Carriage Rides 6:30 p.m.–8:45 p.m.
Winter Wonderland 7:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m.
Winter Wonderland Parade 7:45 p.m.

Friday
Barney & Friends Character Photos 8:30 a.m.
Movie 5:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m.
Pirates & Princesses Party with Shamu 7:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m.

Saturday
Movie 5:00 p.m.
Mayor Clayton’s Birthday Party 7:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m.

Obviously there is a ton to do just here at the Village!

We will be getting 3 day Park Hoppers to Disney World, 2 days to Universal, 1 day at Seaworld. Also there are a ton of businesses in the area that offer discounts: for example, Wish kid get into Medieval Times for free with the rest of the party getting in at 50% cost. Not shabby at all!

Our Make a Wish office is also paying for our airfare and our car rental, a minivan. They also give spending money - $1000 - holy cow! Of course that seems like a lot of money but we *are* talking Disney here, lol. We have decided to spend a bunch of this money on meals in the Disney parks – mostly character meals. We will have breakfast one morning in Norway in Epcot, the Princess breakfast so Bella can hobnob with her special princess friends without having to wait on line. We are also having dinner with Winnie the Pooh one night and trying out the Hoop De Due Review. Also on our trip we will be attending the special “Pirates and Princesses Party” where even Mommy and Daddy will be wearing a costume while exploring the Magic Kingdom! Meeting Captain Jack Sparrow, becoming a part of Jasmine’s Royal Guard and attending Flounder’s Dance Party are all on the agenda for this night.

Oh, did I mention lines? I forgot – Wish kids get to go to the front of the lines everywhere they go!! We’ll have tshirts, hats and pins for her to identify her as a Wish kid so everyone will know who the special little girl is.

Because we needed to figure out reservations for our meals we had to come up with a plan for visiting the parks. 10 days seems like a lot but believe me, we can’t fit everything in that we want to do! Our preliminary schedule looks like this:

Saturday - Travel into Orlando and explore the GKTW Village

Sunday (Mother’s Day and also Rob’s and my 5 year anniversary!)- We are going to Epcot – having breakfast with the Princesses and dinner in Morocco. Whoo hoo! I picked this one for Mother’s Day.

Monday – Very long day at Magic Kingdom that will include us trying to make the rope drop, trying to wake up Tinkerbell, Bella getting her very first haircut on Main Street USA, dinner with Cinderella, Prince Charming, Lady Tremain and the evil step sisters and ending the night with WISHES, the fireworks show.

Tuesday – Relax at the Village! Rob and I have dinner scheduled alone at Victoria and Albert’s to celebrate our anniversary.

Wednesday – Hollywood Studios (formerly known as MGM). Going in late and staying until they close to see Fantasmic. Dinner is at the 50’s Prime Time Café. Bella is very much looking forward to seeing Ariel’s show and Belle’s show and the Muppets 3-D!

Thursday – Animal Kingdom – breakfast with Donald and his friends and exploring the wilds of the Kingdom. I think Bella will love seeing the animals and we'll love trying the new coaster - Expedition Everest. All I can say is, "Yeti, Yeti, Yeti!!" (Yes, a little Backyardigans reference :lol

Friday – Sleeping in late and checking out of the Village – transferring to Aunt's house. Attending “Mickey’s Pirates and Princesses Party” at the Magic Kingdom.

Saturday – Sleeping in! Possibly Disney Quest for the boys while the girls do some shopping. Have to spend some of that spending money on souvenirs! Hoop De Due Review for dinner, should be a grand ol time! Maybe taking my brother and going out to Pleasure Island for a night of drinking and dancing.

Sunday – Hang out with the family! My Mom and brother are leaving today.

Monday – Undecided yet – we’ll probably do Seaworld but maybe Universal Studios.

Tuesday – Hang out with the family and be sad that we are leaving that evening.

Busy trip planned! Hopefully those gaps will be filled with relaxing at the pool and taking it easy. I know it seems very structured but now that we’re organized we plan to take things as they come. If we miss a reservation here or there, oh well. If we’re too tired to do something we won’t do it.

So those are the dirty details. I’m super excited just reading it!

 

[lotferg]

I am looking forward to reading your TR. I'm thinking of writing my own for our little Wisher! I'm so glad you posted the GKTW schedule! That helps me out, a lot!

I'll be thinking of you and your little Bella while we skip around the park, too! After going through so much, you deserve all the happiness this trip will bring you and your family.

 

[AmandaSparks730]

Oh my goodness!

I'm a Wish Kid myself, and I took my WDW trip when I was 6 (so only a bit older than your DD). That was 1999 (December). Now it's 2008. Time flies! It was me, my parents, my grandparents (mom's side), and my great aunt and uncle (I'm an only child). We all had a great time!

I got to go to the Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party/Parade! It was an amazing experiance. Minnie had hot cocoa and cookies, she "read" a story, and, oh goodness, we met so many characters in their winter finest!

She'll get a button at GKTW that allows your family to go to the front of any ride/attraction line!

GKTW is an absoultely amazing place. I have pictures of it, but I'd have to scan them into mom/dad's computer. You'll love it there; it's so utterly amazing. Most of the workers are volunteers, and they give up their free time to make the most out of your child's trip.

Your DD is adorable, and I can't wait to see how her trip goes! You'll definately feel that "Disney magic"!

Make-A-Wish is a GREAT organization, and I volunteer regularly there (at the Rhode Island chapter).

My genetic disorder is Fanconi's Anemia (too hard to explain right now!) but it's not "terminally ill" status (although CAN be life-threatening; hasn't caused me too much trouble. Except hearing loss. And I tend to react badly to shots. But otherwise, it's been better!) Still, I got my wish!

 

[ariel2007]

OMG your pre-trippie and trip plans sound amazing.

First off Arabella is absolutely gorgeous. I love how you have written her story, what a special, beautiful little girl you have. I also love her name, so pretty and unique

I have heard of Make A Wish before but never really knew much about it. Being from the UK its not as common over here, although the company I work for used to sponsor it so I did look it up one day and thought what an amazing concept it is. Personally one of my ambitions is to one day start a charity that is as worthwhile and magical as Make A Wish.

The Village you are staying in is amazing. I can't believe there is such a cool place for all those special children to go , I'm sure Arabelle will absolutely love it there, I would . The whole trip package sounds so good, its so great to see there is such things out there.

Cant wait to hear more about your trip, I think were there some of the same time so may see you around. I will keep an eye out for Bella's MAW t-shirt and pins

 

[dizneeat]

Your little Bella is such a cutie! I cannot wait to read more!