Dear Wonderful DISBoutiquers (and other Wish Trippers who are also reading - don't stop, this tells you more about the background to our Wish):
I have also asked Jessica to post this on your site/thread because I have learned from other Big Gives stories that checking out your site is akin to searching through your mother's clothes closet in the weeks leading up to Christmas.
I just wanted to send you all a message to say thank you for taking us on. Throughout this Wish experience, my husband and I have struggled with accepting the unconditional support from our Wish Granting organization, our Wish Granter Shelli, and now your wonderful group. We know that life presents many challenges for our son Mark, and he faces those challenges with such grace, courage and dignity, yet it's all just part of embracing the day to him. He's taught us so much about life.
My husband and I are tremendously proud of Mark, and Douglas too. As a twin sibling of a boy with a signficant physical disability, he makes many sacrifices too. He's had to accept less of my time, had to wait while Mark catches up, had to accept that our family just can't do all the things that other families do. He watches while others shower Mark with attention, and struggles with feeling a little bit jealous of that...then struggles with feeling guilty about those emotions too. How we hope that he'll see on this Wish Trip that there are wonderful people out there who want to show him that he is very special too.
Hopefully some of you have had a chance to check out our pre-trip report (
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=27462017#post27462017), and you will have learned that our Wish child Mark and his twin brother Douglas were born over 3 months early. They have both struggled with medical issues, but it is Mark who bears more acutely the legacy of their prematurity. Mark has cerebral palsy. He cannot stand independently but uses a walker very proficiently for getting around. A number of medical issues plagues his early days, including reflux so severe that he had surgery to correct it, and a feeding was placed to supplement his nutrition. We still use it at night-time, and I have time for trolling the DIS while waiting the 2 1/2 hours while it runs (sometimes I am smart enough to doze!).
Many Wish families I have encountered through the DIS boards have been devastated by heartbreaking diagnoses for their children. How wonderful that so many of these stories have taken a happy turn, and we pray that these children - and all the Wish children - enjoy long, healthy lives.
For us, our journey leading up to this Wish Trip began almost 10 years ago. Living with medical issues and disability is just what we do. And so, it is so "normal" to us, that we are so touched by your embracing us by inviting us to be part of your Big Give.
We're not an easy family. First, we're from that frozen tundra north of you all...we send you those cold winter winds, hockey, and some pretty fine musicians and comedic actors. Well, there's a lot more, but you get the point. I know that shipping to us is as a hassle, and we so appreciate you seeing past that. Second, we've got boys who are starting to struggle with the fine line between "cool" and "precious". How did they get to be this old so soon?!? Third, our boys are teeny, especially Mark. In fact, right now Douglas has no long pants other than sweats because I haven't faced the challenge of shopping with him! Tomorrow we go to Old Navy and Gap in search of more adjustable elastic pants!
I mentioned that Peter and I initially struggled with accepting a Wish. It all started one day 2 years ago when I called Starlight Starbright Canada. I had some accessibility/child with disability at WDW questions that I hadn't found info on. We were planning our first trip to WDW. I was clear that I wasn't enquiring about a Wish for Mark, just requested their expertise. The Starlight contact insisted on learning more about Mark, told me that he definitely qualified for a wish, and then assured me that accepting a wish wasn't so much about accepting a financial gift, it was about giving your Wish child - and siblings, and parents too - an opportunity to create memories together. A time to take back some moments of childhood that had been lost.
And still, we struggled. We are fortunate to be able to save and plan for vacations - the challenge is finding places/activities that work for us all. We believed that surely there were other families who needed this more than we did.
It's been a very tough year for Mark at school and socially. He's entered a stage when he's no longer that "cute little boy in the walker." His brother stands by him, but he has but a handful of friends. Really, only 1 family is comfortable having him over, so we host here most of the time. Mark's classmates are enjoying greater independence and opportunities that he may never have. He lost some of the gleam in his eye. He seemed tired and sad. He just didn't have the same spark. It was as if he'd started to understand that this disability thing was tough, very tough. We wanted to have soemthing to really look forward to, something to bring back the spark.
And so, we signed the papers Starlight Starbright had sent us and never looked back.
We're facing a busy year. In a few weeks, work starts on a huge renovation of our home, the end result will be lovely, and will provide a fully accessible environment for Mark, including an elevator. Finally, we will give him the chance to move around his home without having to ask anyone to help him! But...to do so, we need to get everything, I mean everything out of the house. Yes, we are moving out for 5 months, but thankfully, to our neighbour's house across the street. They are being "snowbirds" down in Florida for 5 months. In fact, they arrive the same day we do...and we move'll move over the day before we leave for the Wish Trip!!!
This has been far too long a message and thank you for still reading. I will be posting more on the pre-trip, and I hope you'll pop over for a visit (see link above). In the meantime, please know that your support is so appreciated. Knowing that you have continued your Big Give and knowing that we are part of it brings a special joy to each day. I simply cannot wait to see what the boys think when they find out!!!
Blessings,
Alison
We are going on our Wish trip for our DD3 in December, so not too long after you guys. I've been thinking about starting a TR but for now I'm just learning from the pros. 
