The experience was once in a lifetime. The impact it had on me was priceless. Being able to spend 6 days with my kids just making them feel special and living those experiences is something I cant give them and it meant the world to all of us.
Chantyn's mom
We found out before Chantyn was born that there were some medical issues. We weren't sure what they were but he was measuring very small and there was some blood flow issues through his cord.
He was monitored very closely and at 34 weeks I was admitted into the hospital until he was to be born. At 35 weeks they induced me because he wasn't moving very much. He was born 2 days later and weighed 3 lbs 5 oz.
A little before a year old he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy (right hemiplegia). He had some brain scans done and the left side of his brain is more damaged and smaller then the right side of his brain, but he has damage throughout his entire brain making neurological issues a possibility. At 18 months old he had his first seizure. As he grew the seizures became more often and he developed all types of seizures and he was diagnosed with LGS. In the summer of 2021 he had a brain surgery, a corpus callosotomy, to remove the corpus callosum to attempt to lessen his seizures. So far it has worked but he does still have seizures frequently.
We heard of make a wish before his brain surgery through one of his friends in school and discussed it as well with faculty at the CDD during one of his appointments. We were elated when we found out that he was granted his wish! He was thrilled and kept telling everyone he was going on a field trip. I was excited for him to get to experience things that I myself couldn't give him.
His wish was to go to Disneyland in California. He has always been obsessed with Lightning Mcqueen and saw a video of the ride at Disneyland and wouldn't stop talking about wanting to go on it and see him. Due to covid, the trip got postponed for a few years but his wish remained the same. We prepared for the trip with the countdown sheet we were sent. Chantyn loved marking off each day closer to the trip and packing and making sure he had everything he needed.
The entire trip was amazing!! Our favorite part was going to Disneyland. They treated him so well. He got the VIP treatment and he got to meet all the characters and got autographs and he felt so so so special. The characters took extra time with him and even though they cant talk he walked away feeling so loved by all of them.
The experience was once in a lifetime. The impact it had on me was priceless. Being able to spend 6 days with my kids just making them feel special and living those experiences is something I cant give them and it meant the world to all of us.
Supporting Make-A-Wish is so important. Allowing these kids to experience their dreams while feeling like the star of the show is so crucial for them. I know they spend so much time feeling less then and not being able to be included in certain things so getting to not only experience their dream but to also feel like the star doing it is so important for them.