Make A Wish and making memories

Hannah, the wonderful MAW grant volunteers with the huge Minnie, Daddy, Ethan (in his homemade fight costume), and Abby being silly!

We had our Make A Wish meeting with the MAW grant volunteers tonight.

When I saw the three of them through our front door gate with a huge Minnie Mouse stuffed animal, Minnie balloon, and carrying an armful of toys, it caught me off guard!   I just wasn’t expecting that!   Not only did they bring gifts to shower on Hannah, but they brought very thoughtful gifts for both Ethan and Abigail.   Ethan and Abby were thrilled and played with them the entire time the grant team was talking to us!

They knew beforehand that we wanted to take the kids to Disney, and we knew as soon as we saw the big Minnie Mouse that there was a good chance this wish would be granted.   We discussed how our main wish is to stay at Give Kids the World and to take the kids to Disney World and to Universal Studios (Ethan is dying to see the Harry Potter show).   They even mentioned Sea World as a possibility, which is my favorite place in the world!

Hannah was in a great mood during the 90-minute visit, showing off her beautiful smile.  Granted she played with the iPad most of the time, but she was just so happy so that was good enough for us!

We talked about what medical needs we would need to prepare for in order to travel, what things they need to be aware of (like Hannah’s heat intolerance issues), and dozens of other questions that were obviously asked in order to give Hannah the most comfort and fun.   We talked about noises, smells, and other things that could affect Hannah’s enjoyment.   What was great was they asked questions that were important but I would not have thought about it.

We also discussed a backup wish, just in case this one can’t be granted.   We assume that if this one can’t be granted, it is most likely because Hannah would not be able to travel or tolerate the trip.   So we came up with asking for a backyard playset for the kids that had both regular and special needs equipment, covering to block out direct sun, and a foam floor for safety.  It is something that we have always wanted to get the kids, but it is just too dang expensive for us to do right.   So it is a perfect backup wish, just in case.

Because of Hannah’s issues with the heat, we are hoping to go sometime within the next three months before the summer heat hits in Florida.

The next step is to have Dr. Bernstein, her specialist here, approve our request and then the MAW team puts it all together and we continue the planning from there!

I’m very excited.  I will admit it.  What I am most looking forward to (if this does come to pass), see Hannah’s face with all the lights, bright colors, and sounds.   Also, I want Ethan and Abby to be spoiled beyond spoiled for the week – they so deserve it!   Best of all, I want Ethan and Abby to have memories of an amazing trip with Hannah, something special, something they will always cherish.