Make a Wish (and other organizations!) - Wish Trippers...UNITE!! Volume 2!

[5dwarves]

Guess What??? we are on spring break all next week!! I'm so excited to get see ya'll!! If I can just keep us out of the Hospitals next week then we will be all set!!

For those that don't know My oldest son Tyler is going in the Hospial Tues for test. They believe he has a blockage in his stomach/intestine area but aren't for sure. They are going to do a scope and then go from there.
Tyler is our "healthy" child not our WISH child. In Nov he was diagnosed with Facial Cellulitos and PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) it was believed that all his stomach issues were because of all the High powered antibioticas and meds he was on. But now things aren't getting better in fact they are worse. Anyway I am glad we are finally getting test done and not just MORE meds prescribed. I know we have a lot to pray for right now but if ya'll could just breathe a little prayer for him I sure would appreciate it!! I try to act like it's no big deal but I'm scared. I didn't realize how much I realied on Tylers wellness if that makes sense!!!
If my husband or Braeton got sick I just went with the flow. I expect them to have problems. This thing with Tyler has got me all out of wack.

Sorry to ramble on. I just needed to vent I guess!! i know it will work out one way or the other. God has never failed to give us the strength we need to carry on and know that he will not stop now!!

LeeLee...I am sorry to hear that Tyler is sick right now. I hope that Braeton and DH (Shannon, right?) are both healthy this week. Did your DH get his kidney transplant yet?

~Elisa

 

[dmbfan]

I just added a TON of pictures o Jake's pre trip thead of some Big Give pictures from today..I am still speechless after seeing what the Miller Family made for Jake and Hannah...I have two happy kids here tonight that don't want to take off any of the outfits ..even though it is 25 degrees here right now...

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you Big Give!!

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=30800765#post30800765

 

[keetmommy]

Can I ask what the Big Give is??? I have seen it mentioned several times in this thread...
Thanks


(Oh and we are watching Disney shows on the DVR tonight planning our trip....only 92 days....)

 

[Bill_Lin]

It is Harbor House at MK. My DH likes to eat there and it isn't really ever busy. The other place to eat at AK is Pizzafari. It is nice and big inside and they have some different things on the menu than some of the other quick service restaurants. We took Aidan in Sept '08 during free dining and actually ate both breakfast and lunch (another day) at Pizzafari. For lunch they had pizza (of course) and chicken parm sandwiches. As far as drinks, the water fountain by It's a Small World is pretty cold. We would buy one bottle of water in the morning each and fill it up all day at the fountains. If staying at GKTW, I would buy a case of water from Wal-Mart and you could always fill up your bottle so you don't have to carry enough water for everyone all day.

If you really want to treat yourself, the Dole Whips are great! The stuffed pretzels can easily be shared as can the turkey legs. We actually also tried a caramel apple and split one apple between the 3 of us. Can you tell I am 32 weeks pregnant? Once you get me on the topic of food....I could go one forever!

When we were there I was shocked the Harbor House closed around 5 p.m., but it was a nice, quite place to eat and close to some great rides like Haunted Mansion and Pirates.

 

[Bill_Lin]

Can I ask what the Big Give is??? I have seen it mentioned several times in this thread...
Thanks


(Oh and we are watching Disney shows on the DVR tonight planning our trip....only 92 days....)

I am reluctant to discuss Big Give much. Let's just say, some folks like to give a special treat to Wish Trip Kids when they can. But there is always PLENTY of magic to go around.

I am reminiscing today about food, perhaps because of the changes I have been reading about at the Village. I see they have a "hamburger stand" type place now, which is a great idea. The new villas are amazing. Lysi fell in love with the pictures of them. Maybe all or our homes should look like that. I think the boutique at the Village is another great way to pamper the princesses.

Does anyone remember the strawberry waffles at the Gingerbread House during breakfast? They would have been enough to fill us up (YUM) even without the other great food. On one occasion we went early for "Continental Breakfast" so we could get an early start. We were amazed to find almost everything available at that time. Has anyone else experienced that?

We had big plans to get early starts each day... ha ha ha.. how little I knew. Sleeping became important. Consider all of the miles you and your kids will walk visiting the parks. The Village is not exactly the kind of place you want to hurry out from anyway, with all the magic there. Somehow, a morning whirlpool bath became a must (in addtion to the evening ones). Often in the morning their were characters visiting the Village that we wanted to see before we left.

For that reason we tanked up heavy at breakfast at the Village. We never came back for lunches. Our lunches in the park were typically counter service (which really means Cafeteria sit down style). The prices were not bad. Most evenings we were back at the Village for a big dinner. We ...... let me say that somehow we ended up with snacks in our packs to tide us over. On the two days that we were in parks for a long day, we had one combination late lunch early dinner meal. We were so focused on maximizing ride time that food was not on our mind that much.

Blessings!

Bill

 

[LeeLee2U]

LeeLee...I am sorry to hear that Tyler is sick right now. I hope that Braeton and DH (Shannon, right?) are both healthy this week. Did your DH get his kidney transplant yet?

~Elisa

Shannon has had some kind of virus but he is a bit better today. No transplant yet. 28 prelimanary matches. 3 of which passed the Lupus test but for various reasons didn't work. One had too much damage from a car wreck etc....
He's still recovering from those surgeries last weekk, probably why he's had a tough time fighting this Virus.
Braeton now fights severe headaches and had a virus earlier this week but now is feeling pretty good. He made school the last 3 days!!!

 

[twinmum]

Oh LeeLee...so much going on for you - and I can empathsize with your venting when your child who's not supposed to have concerns is faces challenges too. Although both our guys were extreme premies (twins born @ 26 weeks), Douglas really only has lung issues. But when those lung issues rear their ugly head, I do tend to get much more freaked out than when I've been with Mark for surgery etc. Many of Mark's hospitalizations have been planned. It's that unexpected, "hey this is not fair, this is not supposed to happen, what next?" feeling...one that I know you are all to familiar with. As you said though, God has always given you the strength you have needed.

Sorry to hear your hubby is still waiting for a transplant. I actually thought of you guys last night when I was watching ER (getting around to catching up on the final season and it's great to see all the old timers back). Amazing how quickly a kidney can appear out of the blue on TV...too bad it's not the reality.

Good to see you back on the boards!
Alison

 

[twinmum]

Sitting here with coffee cup in hand, I begin what has become a renewed morning routine - checking in on my Wish Trip friends. As we were planning our own trip, this routine helped me to plan, built the happy anticipation, and introduced me to a group of wonderful, loving people. After our trip, there was so much going on that I couldn't keep up the routine and I was absent for a while. And I missed that uplifting feeling that comes from our common bond.


It's been a real slog for us in the months since our trip - nothing near as challenging as some of the health issues we've seen among the Wish Trip families, but...well, someday I am really going to write that trip report and fill everybody in. Yes, I am still feeling guilty about not writing it - it will be a gift to our own family to have that chronicle too. I just don't have the wherewithal to do it right now (great word, and yes, I did have to check the spelling!).

Reading your pre-trips and trip reports gives me a well needed boost. It's so much fun to help the new families still in the planning stages. Sharing your excitement brings back such wonderful memories. Reading the expressions of support as we share our concerns about some of our dear Wish Kids fills me with such thanks for the goodness in people. It's not just the memories of the things we did that renews me- it's the memory of feeling so supported - by other Wish Families here, by the DisBoutiquers, by everyone at GKTW, by the CMs at the parks, by other families, by our Wish Granters. It was such a "lifting up" that it is indescribable...and, at times, sorely missed.

When I visit here, some of that magic returns - as I said, I feel "lifted up" - and I realize that it was exactly this that our Wish Granters wanted us to feel. Yes, Mark experienced his Wish and he was thrilled beyond belief, and I remember a time when we were reluctant to accept a Wish for Mark. It took us 2 1/2 years to say yes. We feel that we are blessed while there are so many families who have so little. We feel quite safe while others fear they may not be able to provide for their children's needs. Eventually I was taught that a Wish Trip is not just a vacation, it's not a handout - it is a "lifting up" for the whole family, because the whole family is touched by our Wish Kids' conditions. I'll never forget the conversation that convinced me. I was told "we want to give Mark back some of the childhood he has lost - and we want to give your family a chance to have family time that you will always treasure. We recognize that you face challenges every day that most people don't understand - and we want to show you through this Wish that there are people who support your family and want to ease the load." And that was the speech that did it. We were ready to accept a Wish for Mark, and through his Wish, he has brought us to all of you.

Little did I know how blessed we would truly be.

Thank you, Wish Trip friends, DisBoutiquer friends, DISboard friends.

Blessings to all of you,
Alison

 

[Momto2redheads]

Eventually I was taught that a Wish Trip is not just a vacation, it's not a handout - it is a "lifting up" for the whole family, because the whole family is touched by our Wish Kids' conditions. I'll never forget the conversation that convinced me. I was told "we want to give Mark back some of the childhood he has lost - and we want to give your family a chance to have family time that you will always treasure. We recognize that you face challenges every day that most people don't understand - and we want to show you through this Wish that there are people who support your family and want to ease the load." And that was the speech that did it. We were ready to accept a Wish for Mark, and through his Wish, he has brought us to all of you.
Alison

Wow, thanks for that. I have been feeling "odd" for a lack of better word. The people that I work with have been very excited for us and will come up to me and say XX days left! I have always been uncomfortable receiving things. I truly do enjoy giving presents, but I'm just like my grandma when it comes to getting them, I appreciate it, but it makes me squirm. So I'm very squirmy whe my co-workers bring up the trip. I keep telling myself, this isn't for you, it's for Sami, but I love what you just wrote. Thank YOU for the boost today.

Thanks also to the person that helped ease my mind about the whole "cutting line" deal that said most people that are still waiting, because of the set up, won't even realize what is happening.


Apparently I have more issues with rules and guilt that even I realized...

 

[twinmum]

Wow, thanks for that. I have been feeling "odd" for a lack of better word. The people that I work with have been very excited for us and will come up to me and say XX days left! I have always been uncomfortable receiving things. I truly do enjoy giving presents, but I'm just like my grandma when it comes to getting them, I appreciate it, but it makes me squirm. So I'm very squirmy whe my co-workers bring up the trip. I keep telling myself, this isn't for you, it's for Sami, but I love what you just wrote. Thank YOU for the boost today.

Thanks also to the person that helped ease my mind about the whole "cutting line" deal that said most people that are still waiting, because of the set up, won't even realize what is happening.


Apparently I have more issues with rules and guilt that even I realized...

Glad I could help! And I second the "line cutting" non-issue. We have more experience with this because Mark uses a wheelchair at WDW etc. anyway. Most of the time, other guests won't even know and if they do realize you're going first, when the realize you are on a Wish Trip the vast, vast majority of people are thrilled to step aside. A quick "thank you" to them made me feel better, but inevitably, the other party waved me off and wished us all a wonderful wish trip. It's all part of the magic.

Remember, your family has been through a lot. Your Wish child is a hero. All of you truly deserve this.

And...you can always show your thanks through donations and time or money down the road if you are so inclined - that made us feel much, much better!

Alison

 

[maroo]

Sitting here with coffee cup in hand, I begin what has become a renewed morning routine - checking in on my Wish Trip friends. As we were planning our own trip, this routine helped me to plan, built the happy anticipation, and introduced me to a group of wonderful, loving people. After our trip, there was so much going on that I couldn't keep up the routine and I was absent for a while. And I missed that uplifting feeling that comes from our common bond.


It's been a real slog for us in the months since our trip - nothing near as challenging as some of the health issues we've seen among the Wish Trip families, but...well, someday I am really going to write that trip report and fill everybody in. Yes, I am still feeling guilty about not writing it - it will be a gift to our own family to have that chronicle too. I just don't have the wherewithal to do it right now (great word, and yes, I did have to check the spelling!).

Reading your pre-trips and trip reports gives me a well needed boost. It's so much fun to help the new families still in the planning stages. Sharing your excitement brings back such wonderful memories. Reading the expressions of support as we share our concerns about some of our dear Wish Kids fills me with such thanks for the goodness in people. It's not just the memories of the things we did that renews me- it's the memory of feeling so supported - by other Wish Families here, by the DisBoutiquers, by everyone at GKTW, by the CMs at the parks, by other families, by our Wish Granters. It was such a "lifting up" that it is indescribable...and, at times, sorely missed.

When I visit here, some of that magic returns - as I said, I feel "lifted up" - and I realize that it was exactly this that our Wish Granters wanted us to feel. Yes, Mark experienced his Wish and he was thrilled beyond belief, and I remember a time when we were reluctant to accept a Wish for Mark. It took us 2 1/2 years to say yes. We feel that we are blessed while there are so many families who have so little. We feel quite safe while others fear they may not be able to provide for their children's needs. Eventually I was taught that a Wish Trip is not just a vacation, it's not a handout - it is a "lifting up" for the whole family, because the whole family is touched by our Wish Kids' conditions. I'll never forget the conversation that convinced me. I was told "we want to give Mark back some of the childhood he has lost - and we want to give your family a chance to have family time that you will always treasure. We recognize that you face challenges every day that most people don't understand - and we want to show you through this Wish that there are people who support your family and want to ease the load." And that was the speech that did it. We were ready to accept a Wish for Mark, and through his Wish, he has brought us to all of you.

Little did I know how blessed we would truly be.

Thank you, Wish Trip friends, DisBoutiquer friends, DISboard friends.

Blessings to all of you,
Alison

Wow, Alison!

You are so precious.

Gosh...first of all, that almost sounded like a goodbye? You aren't leaving us, are you?

I understand how long it takes to do the TR and how much time you probably don't have. I hope you have at least uploaded your pictures in case something happens to your stuff so that you will have them out in cyberspace. My other computer crashed - I eventually got all of my pictures - but I can't tell you how relieved I was to know that the Wish Trip ones were at least in cyberspace to look at!

Doing the TR takes time, but I am so glad we did it...Lauren can look back on it for years to come and remember the good times we had! (And some of the bad, but that's ok!)

Anyway...I am so glad you are still hanging out with us here! Please don't feel guilty at all!

I am so glad you shared you feelings on accepting a wish trip.

 

[5dwarves]

Hey Allison and momto2redheads (that is a mouthful by the way )....Thank you for what you said. It is encouraging to read. I know that I have felt similar feelings...I don't like to be the center of attention, I even felt uncomforatble at my bridal shower. I do think that wish families sometimes don't realize how BADLY they need a vacation and a break from every day routines and realities until they are there. Two years post wish trip, we are still refreshed, encouraged and uplifted when we reflect back on the events and experiences we had when we were in Orlando through our wish agency and GKTW. momto2.... I know that you will be too! It is your child's wish, but our children's joy and happiness is contagious and can positively influence the whole family. Enjoy every minute!

 

[5dwarves]

Shannon has had some kind of virus but he is a bit better today. No transplant yet. 28 prelimanary matches. 3 of which passed the Lupus test but for various reasons didn't work. One had too much damage from a car wreck etc....
He's still recovering from those surgeries last weekk, probably why he's had a tough time fighting this Virus.
Braeton now fights severe headaches and had a virus earlier this week but now is feeling pretty good. He made school the last 3 days!!!

LeeLee...I am glad to hear Braeton is on the mend and had some good days at school last week. Those are so important to mom and child!

Adam was on the list for almost 2 years before he got his liver transplant. Pediatric donations are so different than adult donations though, as are donations for patients with Lupus. I have a friend in her early 40's who received a heart transplant 7 years ago. She was called to the hospital (several hours away) on four seperate occassions and then sent home. It is such a grueling process. I found out after the fact that Adam's surgeons had rejected several donation offers from UNOS because they didn't feel they were high enough quality (one was from a woman in her 90s...can you imagine a 90 year old organ donation in a 7 year old boy). Waiting is hard, but thank heavens for Shannon's dialysis (as hard as that might be at times) and for diligent doctors. Hang in there!

We leave for TX tomorrow...I'll call when we get there to arrange a BBQ lunch/dinner time. Whatever works best for your schedule.

~Elisa

 

[MondoWishes]

Woo HOO!!! We are headed to Disney on Easter Sunday - 28 days from today. My girls are so excited. We got a visit from our WishGranters last night and they brought our travel packet, tshirts, and pins for the girls. They are so excited. Now, I've got to find the time to shop for spring clothes that fit and get us all packed and ready to leave. The girls are both in princess costumes now and having a Disney Movie Mania on this rainy Saturday afternoon. Hard to believe, we're under a month now. YEAH! Her wish is to meet Cinderella, and she is about to EXPLODE!!!! They are singing WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR right now at the TOP of their lungs!!!! I'm committing to read more here in the next month... and not let my regular job rule every free second I get between now and then!

 

[LindaBabe]

I have always been uncomfortable receiving things. I truly do enjoy giving presents, but I'm just like my grandma when it comes to getting them, I appreciate it, but it makes me squirm. So I'm very squirmy whe my co-workers bring up the trip.
Apparently I have more issues with rules and guilt that even I realized...

Momto2, That was true of me too - always the giver by choice. Then someone told me once that if i would receive graciously, I would bless the giver - by allowing them the pleasure (of giving) that I had reserved for myself.

That really hit home and I have tried to be a gracious giftee and not "keep track" to make sure we're "even" or I'm ahead as giver. Sometimes I even ask for something - help - a hug . . . isn't that a radical concept?

Hugs to you!

 

[LeeLee2U]

Allison!!! Thank you so much for your kind words!! And your understanding. I feel exactly that way. I know Braeton is going to catch almost everything and possibly not get over some of it. And though of course I pray and even worry I don't get as stressed out as I am now. Of course i do believe a lot of that is from the not knowing exactly what is going on with Tyler. I am praying we get those answers Tues!!!

Thank you EVERYONE for your kind words, Prayers, PMs text etc... This board is my support group!! I can not tell ya'll how much better I don feel. It was like getting a bunch of hugs.

 

[LeeLee2U]

I was the same way with the "giving" of our Wish trip. Like Amanda it took me over 2 years before I said yes. TheFounder of the Wish foundation stopped me coming out of WalMart and said LOOK this is for your child Not for you. Doesn't he deserve a Wish???

And then with all the things we were given not just by the Wish Found but through the years I found myself also trying to give back and make sure it was equal etc.... Thanks Linda for summing up exactly what it took me years to understand. We've been dealing with medical issues which of course lead to Financial issues since I married my DH! Over 11 years ago. And I would say it was just recently that I realized it's o.k. to recieve without feeling like you have to reciprocate. My sister told me she loves to give my kids something because they act like me. She said "when i give one of ya'll a gift the looks on your faces and they way you act it's like I just gave you a million dollars." She said "Leah stop feeling like you have to give equally back. She said you do so much in different ways that we feel like we aren't giving you enough. If people didn't love you and feel like you didn't give them anything..Love, friendship etc.... they wouldn't want to do anything for you!!"

So hug those that give you things. Pray for blessings upon them. A giver is always blessed!!

 

[LeeLee2U]

Glad I could help! And I second the "line cutting" non-issue. We have more experience with this because Mark uses a wheelchair at WDW etc. anyway. Most of the time, other guests won't even know and if they do realize you're going first, when the realize you are on a Wish Trip the vast, vast majority of people are thrilled to step aside. A quick "thank you" to them made me feel better, but inevitably, the other party waved me off and wished us all a wonderful wish trip. It's all part of the magic.

Remember, your family has been through a lot. Your Wish child is a hero. All of you truly deserve this.

And...you can always show your thanks through donations and time or money down the road if you are so inclined - that made us feel much, much better!

Alison

Exactly!!! We actually had a whole que of people who had been waiting for over an hour (The sign said 1 1/2 wait) to see Mickey applaud when we were brought to the front of the line. In front of the reg and the wheelchair access. A man in a w/c in front of us looked when the cm came and said can I let that family back there have my place? They are on a WISH Trip and the CM said that is who I am coming after and he started clapping and I heard people asking who?? and the told them this child is on a WISH trip and his wish was to see Mickey! We are going to let them have extra time and everyone started applauding and I started bawling!!

One thing that I enjoyed doing is we brought stickers and glow sticks and my kids would give them to other kids that we would see in the parks. This made them feel good and they were learning that when you give you do recieve. So they kept giving and givine. Tyler even gave a free Mickey bar that he was given to a kid that he saw staring longingly (is that a real word?? ) at the ice cream cart!! Which in turn a CM saw it and went and gave him another!!!!

I try to teach my kids it is more blessed to give than to recieve and if you give it keeps coming back to you. In different ways but the blessings do come.

We also had little Thank you cards that we made that we would give to those castmembers that would help us during the day. Just little you made our day! Thanks for helping make Our Wish trip extra special etc....

Maybe some of you that have a hard time accepting things do something like this. I know it made us feel good to be able to pass some of the joy along!!

 

[maroo]

Exactly!!! We actually had a whole que of people who had been waiting for over an hour (The sign said 1 1/2 wait) to see Mickey applaud when we were brought to the front of the line. In front of the reg and the wheelchair access. A man in a w/c in front of us looked when the cm came and said can I let that family back there have my place? They are on a WISH Trip and the CM said that is who I am coming after and he started clapping and I heard people asking who?? and the told them this child is on a WISH trip and his wish was to see Mickey! We are going to let them have extra time and everyone started applauding and I started bawling!!

One thing that I enjoyed doing is we brought stickers and glow sticks and my kids would give them to other kids that we would see in the parks. This made them feel good and they were learning that when you give you do recieve. So they kept giving and givine. Tyler even gave a free Mickey bar that he was given to a kid that he saw staring longingly (is that a real word?? ) at the ice cream cart!! Which in turn a CM saw it and went and gave him another!!!!

I try to teach my kids it is more blessed to give than to recieve and if you give it keeps coming back to you. In different ways but the blessings do come.

We also had little Thank you cards that we made that we would give to those castmembers that would help us during the day. Just little you made our day! Thanks for helping make Our Wish trip extra special etc....

Maybe some of you that have a hard time accepting things do something like this. I know it made us feel good to be able to pass some of the joy along!!

Gosh...this is making me cry just hearing about it and I was not even there!!

Please, if you have not already, please go to the last thread on my siggie (heartwarming stories) and post that story about you guys in the character line! And how sweet that he gave away his Mickey bar!

 

[Soon2B4]

Exactly!!! We actually had a whole que of people who had been waiting for over an hour (The sign said 1 1/2 wait) to see Mickey applaud when we were brought to the front of the line. In front of the reg and the wheelchair access. A man in a w/c in front of us looked when the cm came and said can I let that family back there have my place? They are on a WISH Trip and the CM said that is who I am coming after and he started clapping and I heard people asking who?? and the told them this child is on a WISH trip and his wish was to see Mickey! We are going to let them have extra time and everyone started applauding and I started bawling!!

One thing that I enjoyed doing is we brought stickers and glow sticks and my kids would give them to other kids that we would see in the parks. This made them feel good and they were learning that when you give you do recieve. So they kept giving and givine. Tyler even gave a free Mickey bar that he was given to a kid that he saw staring longingly (is that a real word?? ) at the ice cream cart!! Which in turn a CM saw it and went and gave him another!!!!

I try to teach my kids it is more blessed to give than to recieve and if you give it keeps coming back to you. In different ways but the blessings do come.

We also had little Thank you cards that we made that we would give to those castmembers that would help us during the day. Just little you made our day! Thanks for helping make Our Wish trip extra special etc....

Maybe some of you that have a hard time accepting things do something like this. I know it made us feel good to be able to pass some of the joy along!!

I am totally going to take extra glow sticks and necklaces! That is a great idea and they are only a dollar each. Any little thing I can do on the trip to make it better for someone else while we will be having such a wonderful time. I'll have to see if I can come up anything else to take that is inexpensive.

My DH is really having a hard time with the Wish and I told him some of the things you wonderful people have pointed out on here. It makes me feel so much better that people won't really know we are cutting.