vegaangel82
A dream is a wish your heart makes....
- Joined
- Jul 8, 2008
- Messages
- 85
Hi everyone!!! I was told by a friend to come check out the Make a Wish thread! Despite being a lurker of these boards since July 2008, I had no idea there was a Wish section!!!! 
My daughter lived her life for the first 4 years as a normal child, diagnosed with only mild asthma. By her 4th birthday, the innocent heart murmur she had always had changed, and her pediatrician sent her to a cardiologist. In the spring of 2009, we went from having a very 'normal' life to suddenly finding out our child had a fatal heart condition known as Restrictive Cardiomyopathy, and was in heart failure. Over the summer of 2009, we prepared her, and ourselves, for heart transplant....
Her cardiologist was trying as hard as possible to be optimistic, but was fearful of what the near future held for Gabriella. We completed testing for transplant in August, and also had our first visit with our Wish granters. Our team consisted of one lady who was an experienced and a husband wife duo on their first wish. Make a Wish pushed through Gabriella's wish to dance with Cinderella in her castle, and got Gabriellas wish trip planned for October 8, 2009. We were scheduled to return home Oct 14 and she would be active on the donor list October 15, 2009. Instead, on September 25, 2009, Gabriella collapsed at home and suffered a massive stroke that took her right arm function and her ability to swallow and speak. Not only was her Wish trip postponed, but she was no longer safe for transplant.
For 4 months, we focused on therapies to regain what was lost, and aggressive injections of blood thinner to thin the clot in her brain from the stroke. After an MRI in February, Gabriella shocked her neurologist and the clot had dissipated... making her safe for transplant. She was listed in February 2010 and on May 17, 2010, we got the fateful call. A private jet flight to Loma Linda University in California and 7 hour surgery later, Gabriella was given a 2nd chance at life, and we were given a 2nd chance at watching our daughter grow up. Since transplant, Gabriella has flourished, thrived and proven to many that miracles happen!
Our Transplant Photo album: https://picasaweb.google.com/vegaangel82/Transplant?authkey=Gv1sRgCP7xnL6BvO7kUQ&feat=directlink
Once her doctors released her for travel this past winter, we called Make a Wish. Our husband-wife wish granter team had kept in close contact with us through the whole journey and were eager to come out and have Gabriella re-wish! Gabriella changed her wish... to something she originally wanted but we had to distract her from due to the risk of her being too far from medical care..... the Disney Cruise!!!!
Gabriella is now almost 11 months post transplant, speaking amazing and utilizing her arm to the max of what she regained from the stroke. She is becoming such a big girl! And now we are eagerly awaiting our wish trip in September on the Disney Cruise!!! We had Make a Wish extend our flight a couple extra days so we could spend a day at Disney World as well (on our dime though). We are trying to decide between Magic Kingdom or Animal Kingdom (we are BIG Disneyland people already). We are still waiting on dates so we can book our room for Disney World and buy our tickets to the park.
ANY advice on the Disney Cruise or a single day at Disney World would be amazing!
This is us! Paul, me (Kristi), Gabriella and our son PJ
And our family blog with the entire journey from day 1 is here: www.GabriellasHeart.com
My daughter lived her life for the first 4 years as a normal child, diagnosed with only mild asthma. By her 4th birthday, the innocent heart murmur she had always had changed, and her pediatrician sent her to a cardiologist. In the spring of 2009, we went from having a very 'normal' life to suddenly finding out our child had a fatal heart condition known as Restrictive Cardiomyopathy, and was in heart failure. Over the summer of 2009, we prepared her, and ourselves, for heart transplant....
Her cardiologist was trying as hard as possible to be optimistic, but was fearful of what the near future held for Gabriella. We completed testing for transplant in August, and also had our first visit with our Wish granters. Our team consisted of one lady who was an experienced and a husband wife duo on their first wish. Make a Wish pushed through Gabriella's wish to dance with Cinderella in her castle, and got Gabriellas wish trip planned for October 8, 2009. We were scheduled to return home Oct 14 and she would be active on the donor list October 15, 2009. Instead, on September 25, 2009, Gabriella collapsed at home and suffered a massive stroke that took her right arm function and her ability to swallow and speak. Not only was her Wish trip postponed, but she was no longer safe for transplant.
For 4 months, we focused on therapies to regain what was lost, and aggressive injections of blood thinner to thin the clot in her brain from the stroke. After an MRI in February, Gabriella shocked her neurologist and the clot had dissipated... making her safe for transplant. She was listed in February 2010 and on May 17, 2010, we got the fateful call. A private jet flight to Loma Linda University in California and 7 hour surgery later, Gabriella was given a 2nd chance at life, and we were given a 2nd chance at watching our daughter grow up. Since transplant, Gabriella has flourished, thrived and proven to many that miracles happen!
Our Transplant Photo album: https://picasaweb.google.com/vegaangel82/Transplant?authkey=Gv1sRgCP7xnL6BvO7kUQ&feat=directlink
Once her doctors released her for travel this past winter, we called Make a Wish. Our husband-wife wish granter team had kept in close contact with us through the whole journey and were eager to come out and have Gabriella re-wish! Gabriella changed her wish... to something she originally wanted but we had to distract her from due to the risk of her being too far from medical care..... the Disney Cruise!!!!
Gabriella is now almost 11 months post transplant, speaking amazing and utilizing her arm to the max of what she regained from the stroke. She is becoming such a big girl! And now we are eagerly awaiting our wish trip in September on the Disney Cruise!!! We had Make a Wish extend our flight a couple extra days so we could spend a day at Disney World as well (on our dime though). We are trying to decide between Magic Kingdom or Animal Kingdom (we are BIG Disneyland people already). We are still waiting on dates so we can book our room for Disney World and buy our tickets to the park.
ANY advice on the Disney Cruise or a single day at Disney World would be amazing!
This is us! Paul, me (Kristi), Gabriella and our son PJ
And our family blog with the entire journey from day 1 is here: www.GabriellasHeart.com
Kristi 
Hello! Welcome to the group!!! Love the balloon pic! So cute.
