Help McKenna get to WDW!

[kathleendsm]

I just saw this article and it made me so sad. In a nutshell, this little 4 year old girl who has leukemia and was granted a Make a Wish trip has been Mickey-blocked by her own father, who refuses to sign the permission slip. Make a Wish says that if he won't sign, she can't go. Her family is trying to raise money to take a trip on their own, but is having trouble.

Anyone have any ideas? I am hoping the Today show or GMA picks this up, but with all the DIS connections to GKTW, I figured there might be good thoughts here! And this father putting his daughter behind a fight with his ex-wife makes me sick.

http://gawker.com/5926781/dad-preve...-to-disney-world-because-shes-not-sick-enough

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[AngieMouse86]

I don't have any ideas but was very confused about why the father wouldn't sign, until I read the article (guess he was upset upset about not getting to see her enough before or some such, only has visitation rights).

Poor girl, I hope they're able to raise the money!

 

[vicky33006]

So, so sad. I'm incredibly sad to read this. Divorce and custody battles can bring out something very ugly in people. I know because I've been there. My ex and I battled custody for years, but we both made sure that DS never ended up in the middle like this. It did get ugly though, and I'll always regret that. Anyway, my point is, I have a feeling this is a ton more about this battle than about this little girl's dream trip

This article also seemed very biased, but if true...the dad is simply a jerk. I guess either way dad is a jerk. I can't imagine blocking my sick child's trip of a lifetime like this.

I lost a brother to leukemia. What he went through before he died was absolutely horrible. The pain this little girl has endured certainly entitles her to much more than a trip. This is just so sad. I really hope her family can find a way to get her there...or I hope dad comes around.

 

[stashbin]

So, so sad. I'm incredibly sad to read this. Divorce and custody battles can bring out something very ugly in people. I know because I've been there. My ex and I battled custody for years, but we both made sure that DS never ended up in the middle like this. It did get ugly though, and I'll always regret that. Anyway, my point is, I have a feeling this is a ton more about this battle than about this little girl's dream trip

This article also seemed very biased, but if true...the dad is simply a jerk. I guess either way dad is a jerk. I can't imagine blocking my sick child's trip of a lifetime like this.

I lost a brother to leukemia. What he went through before he died was absolutely horrible. The pain this little girl has endured certainly entitles her to much more than a trip. This is just so sad. I really hope her family can find a way to get her there...or I hope dad comes around.

 

[vicky33006]

Thank you!

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

So, so sad. I'm incredibly sad to read this. Divorce and custody battles can bring out something very ugly in people. I know because I've been there. My ex and I battled custody for years, but we both made sure that DS never ended up in the middle like this. It did get ugly though, and I'll always regret that. Anyway, my point is, I have a feeling this is a ton more about this battle than about this little girl's dream trip

This article also seemed very biased, but if true...the dad is simply a jerk. I guess either way dad is a jerk. I can't imagine blocking my sick child's trip of a lifetime like this.

I agree. The quote from Dad wasn't even a direct quote ("he was quoted as saying"). So I will reserve judgement of him and his motives. Also if my child was sick and in and out of the hospital and I was limited on when I could see them, I'd be ticked too. I AM wondering if this trip excludes Dad from celebrating with his daughter in WDW.

 

[Hannathy]

maybe the Mom and Grandmother should have thought about him having rights and needing his OK for things before they didn't let him see her. Actions have consequences.

I refuse to brand the Dad as completely wrong without knowing what HE has been thru. It says he just got visitation this year and they didn't let him see her. That isn't right either. I don't think we have enough real details to truly form an opinion. Moms can be nasty also, it isn't always the Dad's that are the bad guys.

The little girl is 4 they should have kept the trip a secret until all the pieces were in place. So why don't they just go with her second choice? Not all kids get their first choice granted.

It is very sad when adults can't cooperate for the sake of their children, very sad on both sides.

Just read the response right before me, and yea I wonder if they had planned on excluding him from the trip? I wouldn't sign then either unless I would be included.

 

[GreenCntryGirl]

I don't care what the reason is, if the father is preventing his daughter from going, he sucks. Punishing the child for the behavior of the mother and grandmother is reprehensible.

 

[Bertnie20]

If he lost visitation, its for a reason. they dont say Oh you cant see your kid just because they want to. He probably did something to the child or the mother (or tried to kidnap her etc) which caused him to have to earn back his visitation. ALSO if his kid was in the hospital, he could ask to be allowed more visitation at the hospital, he prob didnt care about that time, he just wanted her by herself out of the hospital etc. this makes me mad he said no.. that little girl deserves her trip. and i agree with the previous poster, he prob wasnt allowed to go with, and thats why he said no

 

[Bertnie20]

maybe the Mom and Grandmother should have thought about him having rights and needing his OK for things before they didn't let him see her. Actions have consequences.

I refuse to brand the Dad as completely wrong without knowing what HE has been thru. It says he just got visitation this year and they didn't let him see her. That isn't right either. I don't think we have enough real details to truly form an opinion. Moms can be nasty also, it isn't always the Dad's that are the bad guys.

The little girl is 4 they should have kept the trip a secret until all the pieces were in place. So why don't they just go with her second choice? Not all kids get their first choice granted.

It is very sad when adults can't cooperate for the sake of their children, very sad on both sides.

Just read the response right before me, and yea I wonder if they had planned on excluding him from the trip? I wouldn't sign then either unless I would be included.

Rights are not taken away just because. He had to do something, or didnt care to fight. AND BTW: you CANT keep a Make a wish trip a secret, the CHILD has to express where they want to go WITHOUT the parents interfering.

 

[Finally08]

After reading his callous comments about his daughter who has been through hell and back in her short little life, it is NO SURPRISE to me why mom has prevented him from visiting her.

 

[DisneyFanJon]

They need to start some kind of online donation thing maybe ? $3500 between a lot of people isnt a gigantic amount.

Like others, I get the feeling there is more to this story than the reports say, but it remains a fact that this child isnt getting to go to Disney because the adult(s) around them cannot focus on what is best for the child.

 

[maxiesmom]

Even if they raise the money, could't the dad still withhold his permission, and block the trip?

The dad does sound like a jerk, but we have no way of knowing what has been going on with the family this whole time. If he wasn't being allowed to see his child when she was sick, then the mom is a jerk too. It just wasn't headline worthy. Not that 2 wrongs make a right, but we can't assume the father is the only one at fault here.

 

[tallen429]

I think we are all, parents or not, conditioned to think that there "must" be some good reason for the father's behavior simply because it's too hard to imagine someone is just that much of a jerk.
I say this guy is just that much of a jerk.
He was given an opportunity in the article to state his reasoning and his lame excuse doesn't hold water. If there was a serious reason he objected he could have made it clear.
Barring medical concerns involved in travel, which there obviously are none, there is NO earthly reason for this man to block this child's trip.
No excuse, no reason, no explanation.

That said, instead of running to the media it would seem to me that all this mother had to do was go to her local family court. Most issues like this are handled by referees or mediators and don't even require a lawyer. Once again because she is medically fit to go, there isn't a jurist on the planet who wouldn't side with the mother. She already has custody and she is not leaving the country so clearly there is no kidnap risk and that is nearly the only consistant reason trips like this are denied by the court.

As to the mother's culpability in not letting the father see the child, I can imagine about a thousand reasons for it. He only got visitation a year ago? If that is true there is either a REASON he was denied or he simply didn't bother to TRY to see his child, which says a lot right there.

 

[EWDonald]

The girl is now in remission and the father is declining to sign since he felt that Make-a-Wish should use their funding for kids that are terminally ill. I'm inclined to think he made the right decision, but should find a way for his daughter to get to WDW - no telling what she has been through in her short life.

 

[tallen429]

I did a little poking around the internet and found two interesting pieces of info.
1) Apparently getting a court ordered signature from the father is not acceptable under Make-A-Wish policy. He has to sign voluntarily.
2) It turns out the father has a "second family" and is actually upset that MAW would not pay for all of them to go too.

ETA: oops, I think I misunderstood the mother's blog post when she said "she had the right amount needed". Thought she meant she had raised the funds, but obviously she meant she had a total cost for the trip.http://www.gofundme.com/Make-McKennas-wish-happe

 

[Sparkly]

Poor girl. She very much deserves her trip!

I hope she manages to make it to Disney somehow

 

[dzorn]

I did a little poking around the internet and found two interesting pieces of info.
1) Apparently getting a court ordered signature from the father is not acceptable under Make-A-Wish policy. He has to sign voluntarily.
2) It turns out the father has a "second family" and is actually upset that MAW would not pay for all of them to go too.

ETA: The mother says the fundraising goal has now been met.
http://www.gofundme.com/Make-McKennas-wish-happe

Though Make-A-Wish requires signatures from both parents, there are a few exceptions, such as if a parent is unknown or cannot be found. In some cases, judges have intervened and granted authority.
Wood County Probate and Juvenile Judge Dave Woessner said his court would consider issuing an order for the parental signature, but McKenna's mom and grandma were worried that even that order wouldn't be enough.

copied from one of the articles linked to the above link.

It is a shame but I do not see why they did not ge the court order it appears that Make a Wish would have allowed the court order.

I hope she has a wonderful trip.

Where did you see that she has raised the amount of money because the link still shows $2000 short? It does say they determined how much they will need not that it has been met.

Denise in MI

 

[latexscooter]

The girl is now in remission and the father is declining to sign since he felt that Make-a-Wish should use their funding for kids that are terminally ill. I'm inclined to think he made the right decision, but should find a way for his daughter to get to WDW - no telling what she has been through in her short life.

I work in the field of charitable giving and see people second guess what we do or hear people say that they want to do a job in the field because they love their community or volunteering. So when I hear others second guess the activities of charities I bristle a little bit. Please don't take what I'm about to write as anything other than educational or with ill/ugly intent.

Make a Wish foundation has guidelines and policies governing their giving practices. These ensure their giving is uniform and in line with the needs of those they are trying to support. They must keep to the standards the IRS has in place for 501(c)(3) charitable organizations and they must report their activities to a board of directors and IRS annually. I guess what I'm trying to say is they do this for a living. They are well respected and are fiscally responsible. I would take their experience, reputation and practices on who and how they award their giving any day of the week over a father or anyone else who does not share that same level of expertise. They awarded this trip to this child after a thorough application process and deemed her to have met the criteria to be granted a wish. (I pray to God everyday my daughter never meets that criteria.) We should celebrate the fact that she is in remission and that she was granted this wish. To question whether or not she is "worthy" questions the integrity of the organizations and the ability of those that work there to make decisions.

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[MickeyMcButterPants]

Is there a donation site ? I'd gladly contribute $50 towards this little girl's trip. What a jerk!