Give Kids the World . . . So Many Ways to Help!

Many times in this blog, I’ve mentioned the fabulous trip my dear son and I had to Walt Disney World in October, 2006. It was a special surprise, piggybacked onto Mr Broke Hoedown’s business trip to Orlando. We were especially lucky to win the American Wishing Tale Dream, along with my Best Friend Forever Lisa; my son still beams when he talks about it, and I cherish the Magical Moments certificate we brought home.

But I’ve never written about what our lives looked like earlier that same week. About 48 hours before this picture was taken, I was sitting in my living room removing electrodes from my son’s scalp, at the end of a 48-hour ambulatory EEG. This was his second EEG of the year (and while we didn’t know it at the time, there was one more to come). We’d also had an MRI, a CT scan, and countless visits with neurologists of various stripes over many months. This trip was more than just a regular vacation for us; it was a diversion from an endless stream of medical fears and uncertainties. For a few days, we were able to forget, and stop worrying about what the next test result might bring.

I am tremendously relieved to report that my son is fine. He has a chronic condition that will always require management, and we’re fortunate to have access to excellent health care. But some kids face much tougher odds, and they need a little magic even more than we did. So do their parents.

Give Kids the World fulfills the wishes of terminally ill children who would like to vacation with their families in Central Florida. There are a tremendous number of ways to support these efforts, ranging from direct contributions, to booking your Staybridge hotel stay through a link on their web site, to bidding on eBay auctions that donate a percentage to this important work. Please visit their site and consider how you might want to help.