Helping out a Family

[TheSecondTerror]

Hey. My name is Catherine. I just read an article in my local newspaper about a family that desperatly wants to take their daughter to Disney World. Their daughter is 13 years old and suffers from Angelman Syndrome. She is scheduled to have surgery later this year so they were hoping to take her before then. They have organized fundraisers, but I thought we might help them in a different way. If anybody has any tips that might make their vacation smoother please submit them. I hope to be able to deliver a full list of tips to them by May 6. Everyone on here has a love for Disney, and I am hoping everyone loves sharing that love. So if you have any tips, especially ones for disibilities, please post them.

Thank you in advance- Catherine

p.s.- If you frequent Passporter Boards this post is also on their Your Special Needs board. I'm just trying to get the most tips possible.

 

[bopper]

It might be helpful if you could tell us what type of limitations that somebody suffering from Angelman Syndrome would face.

 

[tacomaranch]

So far my new friends here have told me to buy a few things ahead of time so if the child wants a store item and money is an issue, they can have it in a bag and give it to the child without having to buy it at Disney.

Also, bring snacks and drinks, and toys to keep the child occupied while waiting in line.

I don't know if applies but it is good advise for us.

April 8 days to go!

 

[dclfun]

Has the family applied for a wish for their daughter through one of the wish organizations? I know Angelman's is a physical/mental disability which might not be considered life threatening but there are some organizations which might support this family's trip. They can often arrange a trip "last minute" for someone in need. Other than that, it would be helpful to know if they're staying onsite/offsite and how long they plan to visit as that will make a difference. My biggest concern for them would be the heat during the time they're planning to visit and stamina issues for the child. ---Kathy

 

[roseprincess]

The only thing I can think of to make their trip smoother if they applied to a wish-granting organization. The Make-A-Wish foundation is wonderful for accomidating kids with life-threatening conditions! I really don't know if Angelman's syndrome is considered life-threatening or not, I guess there's different degrees of severity for Angelman's, according to what I read about it. The girl's parents can apply their daughter on the MAW website and find out if their dd qualifies for a wish. The national Make-A-Wish website is: www.wish.org
I also looked up the Angelman's Syndrome on www.angelman.org
The Angelman's website talks about fundraisers their own organization does, the disability itself, etc.

Is the girl's family having a fundraiser for medical bills only? Or is the fundraiser for Disneyworld only? You didn't say what the article about the family entails? You did say the girl's family is having fundraisers(more than one), so I'm guessing they will be able to raise enough money to go to WDW.

You might want to be careful,too, if you decide to help financially with a fundraiser from reading an article in the newspaper. If the fundraisers they are having involves a big organization to help out or a hospital, then that's good. If they don't mention a fundraiser in association with a hospital or a big foundation, it could be a fraud. Not saying this article or girl is a fraud or anything, but I have heard about a couple of people noted in newspapers and websites in the last year or two that the "certain child dying, please give money" thing around where I live, were frauds. A couple of families in the Chicago area have been arrested for lying that their child had a certain cancer. The parents were drugging them and cutting child's hair so as to look like the child went thru chemo and was real weak. Lying to the school, principal, Wish foundations, etc, so they can get money off of people .
Also that woman from Iowa? lied to people she had sextuplets(6 babies). Her and her husband had a write up in their local paper that they had sextuplets and people donated appliances ,money, baby stuff, etc.
Tho, this is rare that people would lie like this, but you need to be careful.

I really think the Make-A-Wish foundation for a Disneyworld trip is the way to
go! Best wishes to the girl.


Rosemarie

 

[lidec]

My daughter has Angelman Syndrome and we just got back from Disney 3 days ago. Tell them not to worry everyone there is great. FIRST make sure they get a GAC (Guest Assistance card) from guest services at the first park they go to. They can get into any ride by showing this and not having to wait in line. They will go through the wheelchair line either fastpass or around back. All the cm were great to us. We even got to go back and see mickey by himself at Toontown and then saw his pals alone too. They are so accommodating to the disabled. Stand in the wheelchair section at the transportation line and they load you first before the others get on. Those are the major things that helped us. We never waited more than 10 mins even though the parks were crowded.

 

[TheSecondTerror]

Thanks so much for the tips. Life's been crazy and I haven't been able to get back on the boards to check this for a while. Sorry about not posting any info on what Angelman Syndrome is, and thank you to those that have.

The fundraisers are for Disney World only. The orginazations involved with the fundraisers are the family's church and our local Wal-Mart. They had a big band play and did a dinner event. Those scams that some people try to pull do scare me, but I checked this out and it seems very legitimate. Thanks for the concern though.

I will make sure that the family gets all of these suggestions. It means a lot to me, and I know it will mean a lot to them.