November | I’m a Wish Kid!

November was filled with anticipation for our Make-a-Wish Trip Disney.  Before we get started just have to say what an incredible organization Make-A-Wish is and how truly amazing the volunteers at Make-A-Wish and Give Kids the World are!  They had everything planned for us.  Now, those who know me well know I had a hand in making sure things were even more planned :)

Prior to our Disney trip we had an EUA in Cincinnati.  The doctors were able reaffirmed that Neve is still cancer-free but they were expecting her to have more vision in her right eye.  Unfortunately Neve’s cataract has redeveloped, which is partially contributing to her lack of vision in that eye.  The good news is that it can be fixed, but we need to wait until she’s been at least a year out from her last chemo, which was in Feb or March.  So sometime in the first Quarter of 2017 she will have an EUA and then after that we can schedule cataract surgery.  It is likely Neve will need glasses for a few years, which she’s pretty excited about!  Wearing glasses will also help protect her left eye from any possible future injury.  When we think back to what we’ve been through, this seems surprisingly manageable!  They also were comfortable to push out our next EUA for four months.  It’s hard to even remember being there every 2 or 3 weeks. 

We got home from Cinci just in time to organize and pack for our Make a Wish trip to Disney.  Everything about our trip was, well…magical.  That may sound like a cliché - but it is so true.  We were given the red-carpet treatment every step of the way. 

Like many of you, I visited Disney as a kid (Clay did, too, actually- all the way from NZ!).  I have fond memories of It’s a Small World, Peter Pan and horrifying memories of the Haunted Mansion.  We even took the boys when they were 4 and 2 and I was pregnant with Neve.  However, this trip changed my perception of Disney.  As parents, the best gift of all was watching all three of our kids experience the wonder.  It’s that feeling of love for your kids and the constant hoping that time will slow down so you can savor every ounce of their being.   Each of our kids gave us deeper glimpses into their personalities, which will be our best keepsake of all:

Jackson:  Turned 10 on our first full-day.  We spent the entire day at Universal studios.  Throughout the week we spent a lot of time with our arms around each other.  He’d often turn to me and say, “I love you, mom.  I love you, Dad.  I’m so thankful we are here together.  Please thank the people from Make-A-Wish.”  Oh and let’s not forget the roller coasters. This kid takes after his dad with a newfound love of them.  I hope he’ll never forget how tight I squeezed his hand as we went flying over Sea World on the “Manta”.  I’ll never forget him calming me down while he still managed to scream at the top of his lungs.  

Myers:  So many amazing things to say about this kid.  He is our literal one.  He realized how special we had it as we used our Genie Pass to by-pass everyone waiting in line.  He’d say, “We’d better enjoy this now b/c we’ll never have this opportunity again!”  This is also the kid who savored every lick of ice cream we had for breakfast most every day.   Myers handles being the middle child so wonderfully.  He’s a great younger brother to Jackson- always looking up to him and finding ways to make him laugh.  And he is an amazing older brother to Neve.  He looks out for her in a way that makes my heart swell.    

A favorite memory with Myers was on the Safari at Animal Kingdom. 

Myers: “MOM!!  I’m SO glad we came here.” 

Me:  “Why buddy?”

Myers:  “Look how amazing that Giraffe is!!  I’ve NEVER seen a Giraffe up close before!”

Me:  “Sure you have.  You’ve been to the zoo.”

Myers:  “But this is the SAFARI, not the zoo.  How incredible is that Giraffe?!” 

You are right, buddy.  It is all pretty incredible.  And so are you.

Neve:   I’ll just say it bluntly.  Neve rocked Disney.   This girl was so proud to be a wish-kid and was happy to tell anyone who asked.  She loved that her Wish Button is what allowed us to have ice-cream all day long at the Give Kids the World Village.   Watching her meet the characters was enchanting.  And helping make her wish come true brought many tears of happiness and relief.  Neve became Elsa by getting the full-treatment at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.  Neve got to meet Elsa.  And Neve got to learn Elsa’s powers.  It was the most magical encounter I’ve ever seen.  She grinned ear-to-ear.  I found myself taking so many pictures just to capture the joy on her face.  It was a moment of closure for us in so many ways.  And then, of course, we purchased an obscene amount of souvenirs and used that Genie Pass to ride the Frozen ride over and over and over!  Because we could! 

 Before we end the Disney re-cap, we do have some thanks to share:

•        Make A Wish:  Thank you to our volunteers, Tiffany and Lisa, who helped make this happen.  Thank you to Schahet hotels for raising money for Neve’s wish.  Thank you to everyone who supported our journey with a gift to Make A Wish. 
•         Give Kids the World:  What an amazing place.  We are so grateful such a place exists to provide an amazing vacation to so many deserving kids and their families.
•         The Potts Family:  What a treat to spend a few hours with you all.  We’ll never forget our Splash Mountain and Thunder Rail Road fun!
•        The Williams Family:   Was so great running into you.  Thanks for the tips and for the friendly faces on our travels home.  Not sure we would have made it on that plane without your help J

   One final photo.  This is one of our favorites of our sweet girl.  It speaks for itself.