Dear Son's Make a Wish Trip~Day 7~Last Day!

Saturday, May 22, 2010~Day 7~Leaving Orlando!

Last pic at the villa before leaving for the airport!

At last, our trip was almost over. We had a great week and by now, Dear Son was really beginning to enjoy everything. Checkout time was 11 a.m. and our plane wasn't leaving until after 3 p.m. so we had plenty of time to kill. We stopped by the Gingerbread House for one last breakfast. After that, we checked out and headed over to the lobby.

Dear Son is really enjoying himself here! He seems genuinely happy and it's great to see him smile!

More pics from the lobby...

Dream Mom and Dear Son. I can't believe he's really 18!

After a while, I fed Dear Son lunch in the lobby and then Dad and Dear Son headed over to the ice cream parlor for one final visit. Give Kids the World was great because they notified us earlier in the week that they called and set up someone at security for us at the airport. Griff from Vacation Mobility met us at the airport for the van drop off. What a great rental service for people with disabilities! Unfortunately, once we got to the airport, security was unaware of our escort however they made a few calls and within minutes they had a TSA there to escort us through security. I requested a visual inspection since I was worried about Dear Son's VNS being activated. Supposedly, according to the manufacturer, you are o.k. at the airport however they request that you stay some 10-15 feet away from the scanners. I opted for the visual for him. The airport was totally swamped so Dear Son's visual inspection took quite a while. They were extremely thorough and checked his back, socks, etc. It took around fifteen minutes. I could not believe the great service we got though at both airports. Each time, we were escorted right through security and never waited in any lines. That was really appreciated.

Dear Son at the airport.

Finally, we boarded the plane. As you may recall, Dear Son was pretty scared when the plane started moving around for takeoff however after I explained to him that "men" really like flying and that the pilot was going to step on the gas and go really fast, he loved it. For the return flight, he was really happy once we got on the plane and couldn't wait to take off! You can see him smiling with excitement now!

Here he is smiling as we prepare for take off!

On our way home!

One we arrived at the airport, we had to wait around forty minutes or so for United to get the aisle wheelchair for Dear Son. Another couple had to wait for one as well for their disabled child. United needs a better policy so they can deliver the aisle wheelchairs in a reasonable amount of time. Disabled people shouldn't have to wait until everyone has left the plane and the new staff arriving before getting them a wheelchair. When tickets are ordered, there should be a box on-line for you to check so that they can have the chair available. One of the flight attendants for the next flight recognized Dear Son from our trip to Orlando and decided to give him some "wings". She pinned the wings on his t-shirt. He seemed to enjoy it.From there, it was onto Windy City Limousines. They have executive busses that are handicapped accessible. We were the only passengers both times. The bus was only a week or so old.
Arriving home (O.K. I might have used the departure photo when we left, lol!) Overall, a really great trip. We couldn't have picked a better place for Dear Son's trip. When I asked for suggestions, most of you suggested Give Kids the World at Disney and you were right on the mark. It was so easy for us. Everything was totally accessible. Give Kids went out of their way to do everything they could to make it easy. They set up the TSA at the airport. At Disney, everything we did was accessible and easy. The passes allowed us to go on rides without any wait times. This was especially great for Dear Son since he didn't have a lot of energy and often was exhausted after a few hours. Our wheelchair van was like icing on the cake. It took our trip to a whole different level in terms of making it easier. It wasn't just easy getting around but having the van meant we could leave when it was best for Dear Son and come home when he needed to leave. I know it was certainly Dad's favorite thing since he didn't have to do any lifting. Dear Son is getting to be a pretty big guy at 180 pounds to lift into the car.

After arriving home, Dad made a picture CD and movies for school so Dear Son could show his classmates his trip. His teacher had stated that everyone was so excited to hear about it since a lot of times, not much happens in these kids lives and this time, it was not only big news but good news. The kids loved the movies and one of his classmates was laughing the whole afternoon. They said it was the perfect end of school day.

Now that we've been home a while, we still spend time talking about the trip. Dear Son loves to talk about it and see pictures from the trip. He watches the Barney Show that Dad taped from our trip, on his t.v. He seems to almost enjoy the trip as much now as he did when we took it. It's just a little easier for him now to take everything in because he can enjoy it lying down in his bed or sitting in his chair.

His favorite thing from his trip seems to be the Mickey Mouse they gave him. Each day, GKTW left presents in the room for the kids. The first day was a Mickey Mouse and a large shopping bag full of presents. He continued to get presents every day and there were so many by the end of the week, that we couldn't take them all home. I took the ones that were age appropriate and that I thought he would enjoy and left the toys for able bodied kids there. He smiles every time he sees Mickey Mouse and he sleeps with him every night. Ever since the H1N1 last November, he seems to like these stuffed animals. They seem to provide a sense of security for him. I've never seen him like that before so it's definitely different. As for the Barney pillow, I put that between his ankles to support his legs/feet at night to prevent bedsores. In the last month, the addition of the pillow seems to have helped the swelling in his leg go down.

In the end, we had a great trip and a lot of great memories. Next month, when he goes to summer school, I make a scrapbook of the trip. In the meantime, it helps to pass the time thinking about the good times. Give Kids the World has a policy where any time you are in the area, you can come and spend the day there (providing you have other accomodations). I told Dear Son we might go back next year to visit and he just smiles. It's nice having something to look forward to.

In hindsight, I think this trip would have been more enjoyable for him two years ago, when he could do more and wasn't so exhausted. I say that because if you have a child and have the opportunity to take a trip like this, you should do it while they are well enough to enjoy it. I mentioned this to a friend of mine and she thought that it was the perfect time for Dear Son since this is when he seemed to need it most. After thinking about it some more, I think she is exactly right. Sometimes, we need all need a vacation just to get away and think about something different. In Dear Son's case, I think our timing was perfect. He seems so much happier now and although he's still tired, I can always get a smile by showing him Mickey Mouse, showing him pictures or just plain talking about our trip. And after everything he's been through, I am thrilled he has some great memories.

Dear Son's Make a Wish Trip-Day 6-Epcot

Friday, May 21, 2010~Day 6

We decided to start the day with more character photos. Barney was scheduled to be here this morning and Dear Son was very excited to see him again. By now, Dear Son was starting to enjoy the vacation and had a better idea of what was going to happen. Sometimes, it takes kids like this a few times to see something before you can tell they are really enjoying it. After Dear Son's breakfast, we walked over to the Castle of Miracles to see him. Every Friday, they have different characters visit.

We were greeted instead by Scooby Doo! Apparently, Barney was there last week so it must have been a typo. Anyway, it was fun nonetheless. I don't think Dear Son really knows who Scooby Doo is though whereas he definitely knew Mickey and Minnie Mouse along with Goofy. One of his favorite movies when he was younger was, "A Very Goofy Movie". They used to watch it at school and said he would laugh like crazy when he watched it.

More photos...

It was great getting the character photos done here, at Give Kids the World, since it was easier for kids like Dear Son than standing out at Disney and waiting in line. It was great everything was so easy.

After the character photos, we headed over to the Gingerbread House for breakfast. This was the first time all week we came as a family. Dear Son eats via a feeding tube so it doesn't feel right to take him to a restaurant and let him watch everyone else eat so we usually just fed him at home and then came separately to breakfast and dinner.

More photos of Dear Son at the Gingerbread House. This place is packed for breakfast!

After breakfast, we headed over to Epcot. It was hard to believe the week was almost over. It went really fast.

I thought the flowers were spectacular here.

It was a beautiful day however it was still very, very hot. One of the things I wanted from this trip was family photos. I am not photogenic and never would take any family photos. When Dear Son's condition deteriorated, I realized that I didn't have any photos of our family or of Dear Son and I. I always took tons of photos of him. I tried to take some family photos so I could look back and remember how he looked. I realized that one day he will be gone and I wouldn't have any photos of our family. I won't get a second chance so I decided to not worry so much and just take the photos.
Hopefully, I won't bore you with the flowers. I just love them.

Dad and Dear Son...

The first thing we wanted to do was to go on the ride, "Soarin'". This was one of your suggestions; I remember someone said it was the, "best ride, ever!" We were really looking forward to it. This was a big attraction and there was a forty minute wait.

Give Kids the World gave us these passes so that we wouldn't have to wait in line. We showed the pass and they whisked us up through the disabled entrance and to these special lines for wheelchair access. We probably didn't wait more than five minutes in line.

They asked that we transfer Dear Son to the seats. Dad transferred him and then they took Dear Son's wheelchair. What's great is that they had the entire procedure down for people with disabilities. They offered to help Dad get him in the seat. Once Dear Son was seated, they told us he could ride two or three times if he liked, just let them know once we were done with the ride and they wouldn't make him get off the ride. Here's Dear Son checking everything out.

All ready to go!

They took the wheelchairs over to the center of the aisle. They kept them near the ride and told us they would bring them to us when the ride was over. They had plenty of people working there and it seemed like they were each assigned to help certain disabled patrons or whoever needed help.

The ride was a lot of fun! It took us over many scenic routes! All virtual reality of course, but really fun. Here's one of the scenes. I took a picture while we were on the ride so you could see. It was too dark for some of the other pictures to come out plus it was really fast.

After the ride was over, we rode again and then they brought the wheelchair over to Dear Son and offered to help us get him back into the chair. They couldn't have been more helpful.

Next, we decided to check out this ride called, "The Seas with Nemo and Friends".

It was a wheelchair accessible ride and the wheelchair pulled up right into the clamobile. It was nice to have a few things indoors where there was air conditioning. With Dear Son's patch, we had to make sure he didn't overheat so this worked out great.

Once inside, we took to the "seas". It was very pretty and almost as colorful as the movie.

Next, we stopped to give Dear Son his lunch.

After that, we took a little boat ride. They had an exhibit called, "Living with the Land" or something to that effect. EPCOT, is actually the acronym for, "Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow". EPCOT was originally designed to be a futuristic model with a community based on a type of utopian communal living. Once you get that, the rest makes some sense. The ride takes you through different ecosystems around the world. The idea is that our natural resources will be depleted over time and that we need to begin looking at alternative farming methods; all of this is branded under the name of "sustainability". Essentially, they show you futuristic methods such as soiless agrilculture where instead of using soil, they use just water and nutrients to grow plants (they state that the soil is unnecessary since it's just a reservoir for nutrients), of course it's artificial nutrients. They also showcase other ideas such as vertical farming where plants are stacked on top of each other in these planters creating an efficient method of watering. (See below photo for vertical farming.)

What I didn't like about the exhibit was that there wasn't any mention of genetic modification. Of course, these plants are genetically modified to produce higher yields and to be grown without soil, etc. I don't care for genetically modified foods and will avoid them as much as possible. I also want to know when an item is genetically modified. To go through this exhibit and listen to the entire tour without any mention of genetically modified fruits, vegetables or plants didn't seem right, although I was certainly not surprised.

Papayas...

Fluted pumpkins...

Cotton...

Bell peppers...

I should mention that Epcot also has a fireworks show every evening, complete with fireworks, lasers and music however Dear Son wouldn't be able to handle that. He goes to sleep at dinner time and doesn't get up until the next day.

All in all, a really great day. We did a few other things and then after Epcot, we decided to head home, rest a bit and then headed back to the pool. It was hard to believe we would be going home tomorrow! We wanted to make sure to enjoy that pool once last time. Have I told you how much we enjoyed the pool, lol!

Dear Son's Make a Wish Trip-Day 5-Disney Photos!

Thursday, May 20, 2010~Day 5

Each day of our trip was really fun. On Thursday, we got up early for Disney Character photos at Julie's Safari Theatre (see above photo), which is located right in the middle of Give Kids the World Village. By Thursday, Dear Son was really getting into the whole trip idea. We started every day right after Dear Son finished his breakfast via his g-tube in the room. This meant I had to be up pretty early to get his feeding done on time. I typically tell him what the plans are for the day while he's lying in bed getting his feeding. Once I told him we were off to see Mickey and Minnie Mouse, he was pretty excited. He had a big smile on his face. Mornings are Dear Son's best times because he is well rested and has the most energy.

Character photos are taken on the stage.

Dear Son with Mickey and Minnie Mouse.Looks like Dad is having a good time with Minnie Mouse!

The family photo. As we waited in line inside the theatre, a young mother started talking to me. She had a little girl that looked to be around three years old or so but very tiny. She was clearly frustrated. She talked about how difficult it was because the little girl cried all the time. She talked about how hard it was on her marriage and how much work it is to take care of her daughter and other children. Throughout the week, we had several opportunities to speak with other parents and you could really see how difficult it was to care for these children. I felt sorry for this woman because she was so incredibly stressed out. It was really sad but illustrated just how challenging it can be caring for these children.

By now, Dear Son is really enjoying himself!
Dear Son acting cool now...

God bless these people in these character outfits. It was so hot that morning that the heat nearly knocked you over when you went outside. I can't imagine being in those costumes for even a minute!

It was so hot that we decided to take the day off and relax. Dear Son was quite exhausted at Sea World the day before and with the heat being so hot I was a little worried that Dear Son might overheat (He wears a Scopolamine patch to dry up secretions to prevent aspiration; a side effect is that it doesn't allow him to sweat so he can't cool off.). We headed back to our villa for a few hours of rest and relaxation.

After lunch, the boys headed out to Bob's Sparkleberry Nature Trail, which is right on the premises. It was great that so many things were located right there. It really felt like a vacation when you got to go out and do things every day versus stay at home. Here's a scene from the trail.

Another pretty view~reminds us of the trails at home around the golf course!

More views...

Some excitement in the water!

Looks like someone caught a fish! Not sure who since I wasn't there but this lady thought Dear Son might enjoy it.

After that, the boys headed over to the Ice Cream Palace. Ice cream is available every day from 7:30 a.m. until 9:30 p.m. There are giant ice cream bowls outside that you can sit in. I kept thinking these would be great for softballs teams in the summer. The best part is that everything at Give Kids the World is wheelchair accessible! Yay!

Here are some people enjoying the ice cream. One little boy wanted three scoops of ice cream. His Dad said two would be fine since they could come back every day, lol!

Dear Son looks a little worn out about now. Dad's getting his ice cream.

After the boys came home and rested a bit, we all headed out for the pool. It was the PERFECT day for that since it was so hot. While we were there, we met other families who did the same thing we did. Everyone stayed home from the theme parks and met at the pool!

One of the great things, sort of, was seeing other parents like us. Mothers and fathers taking care of their special needs kids. The parents at the pool, all looked a little bit tired and a little bit worn out. I could see by their faces that we all walked the same walk. On the other hand, it was pretty sad. Each child was there because they had a life threatening condition. One family had four kids, the youngest was three. She had cancer. In the photo above, you see the father carrying his special needs child. The lack of water wheelchairs was a big issue that week. On this day alone, there were three families other than ours that needed them. Dear Son was the oldest and largest child however everyone needed them.

I had a few pictures of Dear Son in the pool with us however I didn't think I needed to overshare pictures of Mom and Dad in their bathing suits at the pool. I hope you'll understand. We are middle age people by now. One thing that did work out great was Dear Son's life jacket. We got a new one for the trip and it had a zipper down the front. Since it was difficult to get on, I had a a side zipper added which made putting on the life jacket a breeze! What a great idea!

But the best part of our pool time was Dear Son. As soon as he got back into the deeper water, I would hold the wheelchair and Dad would hold Dear Son. His head would lean on Dad's chest and Dear Son tried to move his legs in position so he could float. It was really encouraging to see him try to move his legs and get his legs out in front of him and relax. It was also good that he remembered how to do this. We had a great time that day.

I love this picture of him relaxing near the pool. What was great was that after Dear Son went swimming, he tried to talk. When he's really happy, he'll try to say, "hi" and then repeat it over and over again. He kept saying "hi" so I knew he was happy. He has only spoken around six words in his life (hi, Mom, yah and I love you.) and it's really a blessing to hear him talk. I dream of a day when I could have a five minute conversation with him. I tell him if he could talk for one day, I wouldn't say anything because I'd just want to listen to hear his beautiful voice. His eyes light up and he smiles when I tell him that.

Dear Son looks like a model in this recliner. Pictures like this look like nothing is wrong. He looks so relaxed. What a beautiful child.

He took a little nap while we took turns going in the pool.

We came back to the pool on Friday as well and could have spent the whole week here. They had many events in the evening, including pool parties however Dear Son was typically done for the day by dinner or so.

By this time of the week, our vacation seemed to be going by so fast! We hated to say goodbye to this pool however. After the pool, we went back to the villa and ordered dinner in-it was great not to have to cook at all and I generally enjoy cooking most everything from scratch. Instead, I was thankful for all of the pampering from this vacation; I remembered how many days back home when I was so exhausted I could hardly do another thing that day. Giving meds every six hours plus being up a lot at night is exhausting over time. I decided for this trip that I would enjoy everything the trip had to offer and I think we did. I know Dear Son was really enjoying the trip as well.