Hi to all. I am sitting here getting my act together and making my mad list of things yet to do for my upcoming trip to WDW. I have been to disney many times in the past but a lot of things are different for this upcoming trip.
Trip players:
Me - 36 yr old WDW fan and dreamer
Emma and Curtis - grandparents in need of a vacation.
Statment of recent life: HELL is what l has lived the past 1 and 1/2 years of my life. I lived in a suburb of New Orleans, LA (exactly 8 miles from downtown N.O.) prior to Hurricane Katrina. My entire immediate family all lived in the same parish and lost everything in Katrina (mom, dad, grandparents and some counsins). Instead of residing within 10 miles of one another, we are now displaced over a 100 mile region between LA and Mississippi and in various states in the recovery process but none of us are going back to the homes we once new. To add to injury, just as Katrina was about to hit my health took a turn for the worst, first with diabetes (it does run in my family on both sides) then female issues and then the third was the kicker that almost killed me and took the doctors months to figure out. Two months after Katrina I required surgery for the female problems but continued to have health problems before and continually getting worse after the surgery. After nearly 4 months in the hospital and many misdiagnosis the doctor's finally figured out that I had blood poisoning from my property (I am down the street from an oil refinery that had a huge oil loss during the hurricane and leaked onto a lot of properties) and I came in contact with the chemicals when cleaning out the damage to my home after Katrina. I became wheelchair bound and lost vision during that period as well. After receiving treatment for the blood poisoning I was sent to my grandparents place to recover which has taken months (still having vision complications, equilibrium problems and the occasional mild seizure which I never had prior to becoming sick). During the same time I was sick, my grandmother learned she had colon cancer and required surgery and was in the same hospital 2 floors below me so we were able to recover together.
In the past year I have lost my home, community I lived in, health, job and many family relationships have changed due to the stresses of life after the Hurricane.
Now getting ready for HEAVEN. My goal through recovery was to attempt to go back to WDW (you have to look forward to something in life) before the end of the year. I was determined no matter what and would've gone solo (as I did in 2003) but was wearisome of this due to health issues. I have asked my grandparents several times over the summer to go but with their health issues coming and going they stayed undecided. They were also wearisome due to the fact their last visit to disney was in 1984 when things were still being built and they didn't really enjoy that trip. Finally when disney offered their discounts in Sept. I just booked it and informed my grandmother that I paid for her half as her birthday gift which was in Oct. (as I have had so many hospital bills and had to buy all new things after the storm the Disney Visa reward dollars basically paid off her part of the trip) and my grandfather didn't have a choice but he did want to leave on vacation to anywhere at this point.
So now we are down to 4 days before leaving and I finally think that my grandmother is beginning to become excited about going to Disney. She can walk but not far distances so her doctor got her a wheelchair which she is embarrassed about (her doctor was happy to hear she was going to disney and relayed her own father's recent experiences there using a wheelchair). Why? Because she is embarrassed to get out of it and walk around and is worried that other's will think when they realize she is not fully wheelchair bound. I have explained to her over and over again that it doesn't matter what others think but that she is able to have a good time and get around while there - I hope that it sinks in when we go.
My dream is that my grandparents will begin to think of Disney somewhat like I do and that they will have a 10 day trip where they can forget that the outside world and problems exist while they are there. We will have time for shopping both on and off property, MVMCP, typhoon lagoon, the disney dining plan and time at the resort salon and spa. I pray all goes well and when I return I will continue to do trip reports especially since this will be the first time that I am going with someone in a wheelchair. Four days and counting every minute.
Trip players:
Me - 36 yr old WDW fan and dreamer
Emma and Curtis - grandparents in need of a vacation.
Statment of recent life: HELL is what l has lived the past 1 and 1/2 years of my life. I lived in a suburb of New Orleans, LA (exactly 8 miles from downtown N.O.) prior to Hurricane Katrina. My entire immediate family all lived in the same parish and lost everything in Katrina (mom, dad, grandparents and some counsins). Instead of residing within 10 miles of one another, we are now displaced over a 100 mile region between LA and Mississippi and in various states in the recovery process but none of us are going back to the homes we once new. To add to injury, just as Katrina was about to hit my health took a turn for the worst, first with diabetes (it does run in my family on both sides) then female issues and then the third was the kicker that almost killed me and took the doctors months to figure out. Two months after Katrina I required surgery for the female problems but continued to have health problems before and continually getting worse after the surgery. After nearly 4 months in the hospital and many misdiagnosis the doctor's finally figured out that I had blood poisoning from my property (I am down the street from an oil refinery that had a huge oil loss during the hurricane and leaked onto a lot of properties) and I came in contact with the chemicals when cleaning out the damage to my home after Katrina. I became wheelchair bound and lost vision during that period as well. After receiving treatment for the blood poisoning I was sent to my grandparents place to recover which has taken months (still having vision complications, equilibrium problems and the occasional mild seizure which I never had prior to becoming sick). During the same time I was sick, my grandmother learned she had colon cancer and required surgery and was in the same hospital 2 floors below me so we were able to recover together.
In the past year I have lost my home, community I lived in, health, job and many family relationships have changed due to the stresses of life after the Hurricane.
Now getting ready for HEAVEN. My goal through recovery was to attempt to go back to WDW (you have to look forward to something in life) before the end of the year. I was determined no matter what and would've gone solo (as I did in 2003) but was wearisome of this due to health issues. I have asked my grandparents several times over the summer to go but with their health issues coming and going they stayed undecided. They were also wearisome due to the fact their last visit to disney was in 1984 when things were still being built and they didn't really enjoy that trip. Finally when disney offered their discounts in Sept. I just booked it and informed my grandmother that I paid for her half as her birthday gift which was in Oct. (as I have had so many hospital bills and had to buy all new things after the storm the Disney Visa reward dollars basically paid off her part of the trip) and my grandfather didn't have a choice but he did want to leave on vacation to anywhere at this point.
So now we are down to 4 days before leaving and I finally think that my grandmother is beginning to become excited about going to Disney. She can walk but not far distances so her doctor got her a wheelchair which she is embarrassed about (her doctor was happy to hear she was going to disney and relayed her own father's recent experiences there using a wheelchair). Why? Because she is embarrassed to get out of it and walk around and is worried that other's will think when they realize she is not fully wheelchair bound. I have explained to her over and over again that it doesn't matter what others think but that she is able to have a good time and get around while there - I hope that it sinks in when we go.
My dream is that my grandparents will begin to think of Disney somewhat like I do and that they will have a 10 day trip where they can forget that the outside world and problems exist while they are there. We will have time for shopping both on and off property, MVMCP, typhoon lagoon, the disney dining plan and time at the resort salon and spa. I pray all goes well and when I return I will continue to do trip reports especially since this will be the first time that I am going with someone in a wheelchair. Four days and counting every minute.
