Thanks for checking in!
I have details on Deyki's PTR linked in my signature. No breaks, hip replacement in tact.
Most days, we plan to eat breakfast and dinner at the Village.
Hello all. I am what you would probably refer to as a lurker. My name is Terry. I have been reading about all the sadness of late and feel almost like I am intruding on your board at a bad time. But since I have been having a difficult time pulling myself away from this board, I figured I should just dive in and introduce myself while also offering my thoughts and prayers to those who are living thru such dark times.
As I said before, my name is Terry, and my nine year old son Richard has been granted his wish to go to Disney from Make-A-Wish. Richard has cystic fibrosis which was previously very manageable. However, the last year has been incredibly difficult for him with frequent hospitalizations and various medical procedures. Richard also has had many surgeries to correct abdominal abnormalities which were unrelated to the CF. Well, like I said, its been a tough year. He missed most of the school year due to illness and has struggled to keep his spirits up. One of his home-care nurses nominated him for a wish and before we knew it, we were booked to depart on September 26th.
My husband and I are incredibly humbled by the generosity of strangers and are frankly overwhelmed. We are also having a difficult time trying to reconcile the needs of our son with that of our four year old daughter Katie. You see, Katie has autism. She is only beginning to speak words and has many sensory and transition issues. Fortunately, my parents and sisters have agreed to meet up with us and help with Katie so as not to ruin Richard's wish trip. My family is staying at GKTW and my parents/sisters are going to stay at the Contemporary. I have my fingers crossed that this will work for us. My greatest fear is Katie needs will overshadow Richard's wants. He is such a great kid, a sweet and wonderfully doting brother and I just want this to be perfect for him. Despite his disease, he has had to sacrafice so much for his sister and he does it without hesitation.
I know there are so many more deserving people than our family, but if you could keep good thoughts for us, I would genuinely appreciate it.
I also wanted to thank you all on behalf of all the lurkers out there. The information, guidance and support you provide is simply priceless. And forgive me if I posted this in the wrong place, as a newbie who is not very computer savy, I did the best I could.
. When I get back I'll post some links that will be helpful to you on for your daughter. You will also have access to wish lounges and VIP lounges while you are there, so if you need to get to a quiet place for Katie to wind down, there will be more available to you as a wish family than any other visitor to the parks. Additionally, you probably already know if you have been lurking for a while, you will receive a GAC (Guest Assistance Card). This will get you extra assistance when it comes to all the attractions. It is a complicated thing; kind of like a fast pass, but not a front of the line pass. It gets your family the assistance they need at each attraction, so that you won't necessarily have to deal with the crowds, and other obstacles. The other thing that helped us tremendously is the double stroller we had every day. Disney and Sea World will give you a free stroller rental when they see your GKTW button. GKTW will give you a voucher for a stroller at Universal. I have three younger boys and Disney was gracious enough to give us two. The stroller became a sort of sanctuary for my boys. It is large, more like a rickshaw than a stroller...not necessarily best suited for little babies. I think Wendygrace and her husband called it their magic chariot. It gives the kids their own personal space and gets them out of the throngs. Your date is good...September shouldn't be as bad weather wise or crowd wise, as July or August. Ask any questions that you have. Even though there is a definite air of sadness and worry here right now, nothing will help everyone here more than helping someone else. Glad you signed up. But if we just hang at the village, that's A OK with me!
