How Dream Factory and Give Kids the World Village Made My Child's Walt Disney World Wish Come True

My family's Dream Factory/Give Kids the World story began last spring. I was sitting next to my sleeping 5-year-old daughter, Audrey, in her hospital bed. The situation was, unfortunately, a familiar one: fever, dangerously low white blood cell count, low hemoglobin, low platelets count. She'd already had a red blood cell transfusion and a couple of platelets transfusions. We were waiting to find out which particular strain of E. coli had infected her port. Powerful antibiotics with names I couldn't pronounce were being pumped into her central line.

Our social worker, Angela, dropped by. This was the first time she'd seen Audrey completely bald. She asked how things were going. I wasn't as positive as usual. Sure, it was terrific that Audrey was in remission and nearly done with the hardest part of treatment, but she'd been admitted to the hospital four times in a five-week span.

Angela, sensing my desperation, gently reminded me that Audrey was eligible for wish-granting organizations. "Maybe you could take a trip or do whatever she wants once she's feeling better," Angela suggested. "A lot of kids her age decide to go to Disney World. It would give you all something fun to look forward to." Something fun. Something fun...Those two words reawakened a part of my brain that had been numb for many months.

Angela had mentioned wish-granting organizations such as Make-A-Wish the day we met her, the day we found out Audrey had leukemia, but I honestly hadn't given it much thought since. We'd all been too focused on simply surviving, and I wouldn't have dreamed of traveling far from Audrey's doctor and our local children's hospital. I also wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of being given something just because my daughter was sick. But, eight months-the hardest eight months of our lives-later, a Disney vacation (any vacation!) sounded like the perfect getaway.

Wishing for Something Fun, Deciding on the Perfect "Dream"

Audrey has always loved amusement park rides. One of her favorite places close to our house is a family entertainment center with an indoor roller coaster, carousel, train, and other rides and games. Last summer, when she was finally able to go out and do stuff (without wearing a mask) again, she rode that roller coaster ten times.

She loves Disney characters-Tinker Bell, Ariel, and Belle in particular-almost as much as she loves roller coasters. How many hours had we spent in the last year watching Disney movies during chemo treatments and long hospital stays? Too many! And fireworks...Audrey loves fireworks!

So when Audrey learned that a place existed where she could go on lots of rides and meet all of her favorite Disney characters and see a spectacular fireworks show, she was more than eager to go. We finally had our "something fun" to look forward to, and it really did make the months that followed more bearable. Even when Audrey's transition into the supposedly-easier Maintenance phase of treatment didn't go so smoothly and she had to have another bone marrow biopsy to make sure the leukemia hadn't come back (no, it hadn't, thank God), we all had Audrey's Disney World dream to cling to.

Applying to Dream Factory

I overheard another mother in our hematology/oncology clinic raving about her family's "Dream Factory Disney World trip," so I checked out Dream Factory of Greater Kansas City online, and I liked what I saw. (To see if Dream Factory has a chapter near you, go here.) Here is Dream Factory's mission statement: "Dream Factory is a volunteer, non-profit organization granting dreams to children diagnosed with critical or chronic illnesses who are 3 through 18 years of age."

Our social worker referred Audrey to Dream Factory at my request. Audrey could have made her Walt Disney World wish through Make-A-Wish or another wish-granting organization. (Ped-Onc Resource Center has compiled a thorough list of wish-granting organizations for children who have been diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses here.) Either way, we still would have ended up staying in Give Kids the World Village in Kissimmee, Florida.

We've discovered that Dream Factory continues to provide for their dream children and their families even after the child's dream has been granted. Last weekend, Audrey and I went to a fabulous "Nutcracker Tea Party," courtesy of Dream Factory and the generous women organizing the event. And Dream Factory just invited my family to a special screening of Yogi Bear.

If I had to rate our Dream Factory experience on a five-star scale, I'd give them ten stars, at least.

Granting Audrey's Wish and Much, Much More: One Week in Give Kids the World Village

Wish-granting organizations such as Dream Factory partner with Give Kids the World Village to provide "wish" children and their families with an unforgettable, truly magical week-long vacation in Central Florida. At Give Kids the World Village, all guests are treated like kings and queens.

Dream Factory provided us with plane tickets to and from Orlando, a rental car, spending money for our trip, and a gift and Dream Factory T-shirt for Audrey. Our Dream Factory representative also scheduled our special Breakfast with the Disney Princesses in Epcot.

A volunteer from Give Kids the World Village met us at the airport in Orlando, helped us with our luggage, escorted us to our rental car (my son picked the silver Dodge Charger), and gave us directions to the Village. He shared these words of wisdom with us: "There is a time in your life to be a good giver. And then there is a time in your life to be a good receiver - this is one of those times."

Note to parents who are preparing to go to Give Kids the World Village: It's not always easy to be a good receiver. When you're being given so many wonderful things "for free," you might worry about paying it all back somehow. I know I did. Stop worrying, and think of your child who has courageously faced so many challenges-the reason you're on this "wish" trip in the first place. Does she deserve this trip? YES! Now, enjoy yourself! And make sure you remember to bring an extra (empty) suitcase for souvenirs. All of the gifts your kids will receive at Give Kids the World alone will fill half a suitcase, easily.

Give Kids the World Village is located less than thirty minutes from Walt Disney World, Universal Studios Orlando Resort, and SeaWorld. But it's not necessary to leave the Village to have fun. In fact, I recommend spending at least half a day exploring Give Kids the World Village. We planned our theme park activities and trip to Cocoa Beach around the Village activities, and I'm glad we did because the kids had just as much fun at Give Kids the World as they did at all the Orlando theme parks.

They rode horses, met Disney characters without having to wait in long lines, and experienced Christmas a month early. Every Thursday night in Give Kids the World Village is Christmas. The kids got their pictures taken with Santa and picked out presents, and we all took a horse-drawn carriage ride and danced in the snow while wearing shorts.

Every day in Give Kids the World Village feels like Christmas. We rode the train several times, played a game of miniature golf at Dino Putt (awesome!), played arcade games, rode the carousel every day, ate ice cream and waffles with lots of whipped cream, played in the Castle of Miracles, and walked to a playground that was like a life-sized version of the Candyland board game. We would have gone swimming if it had been just a little bit warmer. But we were blessed with perfect weather, considering it was mid-November: high 70s/low 80s every day (I did, however, need a jacket after dark), lots of sun and no rain.

The meals, ice cream (which is served all day-in fact, "ice cream for breakfast" is encouraged), and family events in Give Kids the World Village are complimentary. I got a big envelope with all of our theme park tickets and other goodies at orientation, the night of our arrival. Every "wish" child and his/her family gets the same set of theme park passes: three-day Park Hopper passes to Walt Disney World (good at all four Walt Disney World parks), two-day passes to Universal Studios/Universal's Islands of Adventure, and a one-day pass to SeaWorld. We also got a Disney PhotoPass card and a code that allowed us to get a free disc of all of our PhotoPass pictures when we got home. (There are PhotoPass photographers throughout the Disney parks at all the most popular picture spots.)

Audrey's Give Kids the World button gave us free parking and free stroller rentals at all the theme parks, and we had access to free or discounted tickets to other local attractions. (We requested tickets to the Medieval Times dinner theater, which is just minutes from the Village. Audrey got in for free and the rest of us got in for half price.) Audrey also had a pass that let us move into the "Fast Pass" or special-needs line on all the theme park rides. Many times, especially at Universal Studios, we were moved to the very front of the line--a priceless benefit!

Our villa was lovely: two bedrooms with comfortable beds, two bathrooms (one of which had a jacuzzi), a nice living room and dining area, washer and dryer, and kitchen. The fridge was stocked with bottled water and soda when we arrived. And more gifts were waiting for us on the kitchen table. Gifts were delivered to our villa every single day. We never knew what we'd come home to.

Reflections on Our Give Kids the World Village Experience

During our week in Florida, I experienced something even better than Disney's Magic Kingdom and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal's Islands of Adventure. We were so busy and so happy, all of my worries nearly disappeared. I didn't forget that Audrey was still in treatment for leukemia, but in that magical setting, so removed from our ordinary lives, I didn't worry about it. I felt free.

The motto of Give Kids the World Village is "Where happiness inspires hope." The road to get there isn't an easy one, but one week at Give Kids the World has inspired me to dream even bigger. Now that I've been to a place built entirely of love, joy and hope, my heart is more open and my head is less troubled. My family will never forget our wish-come-true week in Florida.

Thank you, Dream Factory of Greater Kansas City and Give Kids the World Village!

Pictures from my family's trip to Orlando:
2010 Christmas Decorations in Walt Disney World Pictures--(here)
Character Pictures from Disney World, Universal Studios and Give Kids the World Village--(here)

Here is the day-by-day account of my family's Orlando vacation:
My Family's Exhilarating, Exhausting "Wish" Week in Orlando, Florida

Read More:
Dream Factory National Headquarters: http://dreamfactoryinc.org/Home/tabid/38/Default.aspx
Dream Factory of Greater Kansas City: http://www.kcdream.org/
Give Kids the World Village: http://www.gktw.org/
List of wish-granting organizations for children: http://www.acor.org/ped-onc/cfissues/maw.html
Walt Disney World: http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/
Universal Studios Orlando Resort: http://www.universalorlando.com/home/home.aspx
SeaWorld Orlando: http://www.seaworld.com/orlando/
Cocoa Beach, Florida: http://www.cocoabeach.com/
Medieval Times, Orlando: http://www.medievaltimes.com/orlando.aspx