Faith, hope, trust, and Pixie Dust!

[maroo]

*** I am copying this from my TR...***



But this next post…is basically the best moment of the whole trip for Baker and his family…and they have had some GREAT moments!

Something I worried about as we were planning was how to get Baker to meet Mickey Mouse. At the time of this trip, there was no such thing as a FastPass to meet Mickey. And I really wanted Baker to have some time to spend with Mickey that was sorta private…but not with a bunch of people having to wait on him. There was really no way to make that happen…

After we finished eating at 50's - we decide it may be a good time to try to find Mickey Mouse…since Baker has taken to talking in sentences and such, we figured it would be really cool to give him the biggest reward and let him meet his HERO, Mickey!

The line for Mickey - regardless of the time of day or the time of year - is pretty much always packed with families…

So imagine my shock and amazement to see only two families in the line! We were SOOOOO excited!

Even this short wait is a little much for Baker…he really wants to get over there to meet his hero!

His Mom kinda has to hold him back in line.

We had been talking to the CM's in line - and both of them really were apologizing because they really hate to make severely autistic kids wait - they even tell us that they are working on a system where these kids can wait in an alternate area, which would be really cool!

Anyway…it was finally Baker's turn when the character handler announces that it is time for Mickey to go get some water or a snack or something! Oh no! Seriously? What is Baker going to do when he sees Mickey walk out the door?! EEK!

But Mickey shakes his head - No… No. And points to Baker. Doh! Mickey just told those folks he is staying out here and wants to meet Baker!

The first part of the meeting, Baker didn't really get into it…Makes me wonder what was going through his head. Mickey really had to work at this…

And Baker finally looked at him…but not really for very long…and Baker didn't really connect…..

We tried the group picture thing…which never really works very well.








So Baker got back in his wheelchair…






And was ready to move on to something else…




But Mickey was not done with Baker!









Mickey was AMAZING……..


Mickey got right in his face…and Mickey went the extra 10 miles to connect with Baker!!

And the magic just happened!!!

I will let the pictures tell this story....

It was SOOOOO awesome! Every bit as cool as it looked!

Mickey was AMAZING!!!!! The whole thing seemed like it went in slow motion…And Mickey was supposed to be on break forever ago!

Mickey staying back to meet Baker was so very special to me. I know the "rules"…I am sure Mickey was supposed to go backstage when he was told…but he saw the BIG picture…and ignored the rules…and created a memory for his family that they will never forget! And I know I won't forget! And now many you will remember it, too!



I just want to point out a few things in these pictures…..sorry for the repeats…


But in this picture…Look at his Dad's face…behind him… Just joy and amazement! So cool!!

Every time I see this picture, it just makes me want to cry…I love the look on Baker's face…but I also LOVE the look on Sarah's face! She is so happy for Baker!

And...I love the lady we don't know in the background of this picture…

I sometimes feel bad for the families that have to wait for a character interaction with someone I am with…a wish family or autism or severely disabled...that is making that character interaction take longer than most typical families. And I feel bad for the typical families having to wait… But then I catch the background of a picture like this and I realize that some of those people waiting are getting just as much out of watching this amazing encounter unfold as we are!

And I am reminded that all of us, I guess - at Disney, and in our regular lives - would benefit so much from worrying less about how long we were waiting in lines and focus more on the cool things going on around us…If I could just remember that the next time I get in the slowest line in the whole grocery store…to look around me…what cool things can I see while I wait.

 

[pampam]

The eye contact, the connection, the kissing, wow. WOW!! Thank you soooooo much for sharing this with us. Baker really made the connection! I'm sure this is a moment all involved will never forget.

 

[zaksmom]

Awesome! Thanks for sharing your story. And I loved the repeat pictures - didn't have to scroll back to look at them again. thanks again. I also feel like I should rush my son through the line since others are waiting. Usually someone notices and tells me to take my time, they can wait! Thats why we always vacation at DisneyWorld.

 

[jking6]

I just returned from the World earlier this week and I have a story.
I met an amazing boy on this trip. not sure what his name was but we were both staying at All Star Sports. He had a red scooter.
Anyways I was also using a scooter due to recent surgery. I have Melanoma. on the way back to our hotel when we unloaded I usually hopped off and my 19 yr old daughter would drive the scooter off. (she did a better job than me)
Anyways I hopped off and sat on a bench as they unloaded the boy and his scooter 1st. The next thing I knew I flew around the ropes and drove over to me and introduced him self.
He asked what type cancer to you have? (how did he know) He just found out before his trip he was out of remission, he was the most pleasant person I have ever met. I only found out about my diagnosis 3 months ago and the encouragement he gave me and the confidence he had was amazing.
My heart goes out to this young boy and if he or his parents are on the boards I want them to know he was my angel. He told me to be strong and he said don't worry you and I have a long life ahead of us. he had so much strengh and as I start what ever the future holds for me I will never forget him and wish him the best. Special thanks to the young boy for giving a 51 yr old woman the courage and strengh to fight. God Bless you...

 

[PrincessDadx2]

There are a LOT more wonderful "Faith, hope, trust & Pixie Dust" stories to be shared

 

[tinkslite]

My DD was adopted from foster care at age 3 years 10 months. She was only moderately verbal, frightened of everything, bit her brother on a daily basis, and had been brutally abused for the first nearly 4 years of her life. The social worker told us that she would have long term "needs" but no one could tell us yet what those needs would be.
On her 6th birthday, Dad and I decided to forego the usual big birthday party (which seemed to frighten and confuse her, as social settings often did), and send her w/mom(me) to Disneyland for some birthday magic.

Well, she never liked the crowds around the characters so we are big fans of character meals. Goofy's Kitchen at the Disneyland Resort has long been a family favorite. I had decided to take DD there for her birthday lunch, as leaving the park for a bit of break works well with her. Back then (she is 16 now) she was still undiagnosed (though clearly had developmental delays of significant proportions), and her disability (moderate autism spectrum disorder coupled w/ severe PTSD) is "invisible" upon first meeting. I had brought along a couple of gifts with a Cinderella (her fave princess, then) theme. The BIG gift was a Cinderella Ball Gown costume that Daddy and I had purchased, before the trip.......

Well, the real (as dd called her) Cinderella was in attendance @ Goofy's Kitchen that evening! I pulled our waitress aside and explained our DD's background and the occasion we were celebrating. I handed her the gift bag containing the dress, and wondered if it couldn't "be from Cinderella." She smiled took the bag, and said she would speak the PRincess about it......

Soon, Cinderella, a couple of large mice (from Cind. movie), the waitress and a couple of other cast members approached us. They had a small Mickey Mouse cupcake complete w/burning candle and sang to my DD. Each of the other CMs wished DD a Happy Birthday, and retreated. Cinderella stayed, signed autograph book, fed DD a bite of cake and then said,
"I heard that you were going to be visiting us, for your birthday;So, I got you a little gift. Would you like to open it now, Princess?" DD was wide eyed, the PRINCESS CINDERELLA was going to give her a gift!!!!!! She nodded, and tore into the tissue in the bag. She held up the dress and her smile was ear to ear!
I was crying so hard I forgot to take any photos at all,and finally said "Oh no! I forgot to take pictures!"
Well the Princess Cinderella did not skip a beat (she had already spent a lot of time with us). She asked if she could "borrow" the "little princess" for a few moments of "princess talk" and took Jessi by the hand (amazing since she HATED holdng hands and I often resorted to leashes to keep hold of her in a crowd), left the table, whispering to our waitress on her way out the door, and into a "backstage" area so I was left in the dining room waiting for them to return.
The waitress brought me a disposable camera and asked me to watch the CM door they had disappeared behind, as I would want to take photos of their imminent re entry! WOW!
When they came into the room, hand in hand, they were holding out the skirts of the identical gowns and alternately practicing the Princess Wave! My little girl had recieved Princess Instruction from the best!!!!!!
I did get that photo, and it is included below.
We have had many other magical moments over the years with our 2 special needs kidlets (2 out of 3 my families statistics are sketchy).... But this one is one of the best. Thank you so much to that Princess, wherever you are, you made magic for my little one.
BTW her birthday was in June and that gown was her Halloween costume that year, she loved it until it looked more like the original Cinderella rags!

 

[tinkslite]

A lot of times, when my sis is having a rough day, we have to leave the park for a rest or whatever.....A few times a CM heard us discussing this, "Mom, we've got FastPasses for 1/2 hour from now!!"
When they heard this they would come over and sometimes give us a fastpass for another ride, later! Or a place for sis & mom to rest while we rode, or something else. It has happened 3 or 4 times......It made me feel like MY vacation was important, too!
and whenever she got "special attention" from the characters (princesses) my brother and i did, too. They signed our books and asked us about our favorite rides.
Disney knows that all of us are on vacation
(dictated from my ds 15)

 

[tracibulkley]

My parent's took us to DL as a Christmas present almost 2 years ago, but we went in June so it was warm... DD was almost 4 and DS was almost 1. I didn't think he'd really 'get' Disney, but I knew that DD would be in heaven. She was. It was so Magical for her. But the big surprise was how much DS LOVED the characters. He could not get enough of them. We literally could not walk past a character without stopping for DS. He would giggle and wave and screech. It was so precious. He was just 6 months post-op from his last OHS and at the time was pretty delayed verbally and physically, but there were no visible signs that he was sick. I will not forget how much that trip meant to either of them. He loves to read our book about our trip and brings it to me regularly.

There were so many magic moments, but one that really stands out to me was at a Pooh and friends meet and greet. DD and DH were off riding a ride an I was with DS by the Pooh ride. We met Pooh and Tiger. While standing in line a CM approached me and asked about the baby. I told her how much he had loved these characters and how surprised I was. She asked if we could wait for a minute after seeing Tiger and Pooh. I of course said that would be great. After we took a picture we stood to the side and they went in for their break. A few minutes later Tiger, Pooh, and Eyore (who we had not met yet) came back. The CM asked me to follow her to meet them all. There was a line so I said that we could skip Tiger and Pooh since we had just seen them, but she told me that they had some 'special water' and they forgot who they'd already met so they would want to meet us again. I thought it was so sweet! DS of course loved meeting them again, and I loved that she did that for him just because. She had no idea when she asked us that even had special needs.

We are headed to WDW soon for a Wish trip. I can't wait for more of that special Disney magic.

 

[Janny]

Glad to be joining in once again to the Disney Boards!! Have missed them!!!
My husband and I are going to be staying at the Polynesian(first time) with 19 y.o.son, 14 y.o. daughter and 10 y.o daughter who is wheelchair bound and in an open eyed coma after contracting encephalitis from a bug bite at age 2. This is our first family vacation in 8 years with us all together. We usually just do 2 nights without our 10 year old down to the N.J. shore.
The doctor suggested train versus flying. We are arriving to Kissimee. Does anyone have any suggestions on who could take us from the train station to the Poly? The Disney shuttle or Magic Express just picks up at the airport. Looking forward to the "Wonderful World of Disney" once again!!!
Thanks in advance of any special tips anyone might offer!!

 

[Justin Jett]

Glad to be joining in once again to the Disney Boards!! Have missed them!!!
My husband and I are going to be staying at the Polynesian(first time) with 19 y.o.son, 14 y.o. daughter and 10 y.o daughter who is wheelchair bound and in an open eyed coma after contracting encephalitis from a bug bite at age 2. This is our first family vacation in 8 years with us all together. We usually just do 2 nights without our 10 year old down to the N.J. shore.
The doctor suggested train versus flying. We are arriving to Kissimee. Does anyone have any suggestions on who could take us from the train station to the Poly? The Disney shuttle or Magic Express just picks up at the airport. Looking forward to the "Wonderful World of Disney" once again!!!
Thanks in advance of any special tips anyone might offer!!

http://www.disunplugged.com/2009/12/03/amtrak-and-mears-transportation-to-disney/

 

[mdfalls]

This whole thread made with cry with joy. I read tons of the posts outloud to my husband and cried like a baby. I am so looking forward to our time with our son and the rest of our family on his Make A Wish trip in a few weeks. Sometimes life can be so hard. And then other times just more than make up for it.

 

[mdfalls]

sorry, it made me post a second time to subscribe to the thread!

 

[SueM in MN]

sorry, it made me post a second time to subscribe to the thread!

That’s OK - it’s nice to see this one popped back up to the top again.
I had forgotten some of the really great stories on it!

Not sure what happened with the subscribing - you should not have to post at all to subscribe. There is a pull down menu of thread options on the top of the first post of a page of a thread. One of the options is subscribing. It should work easily (I have subscribed to some by mistake when I was trying to do something else).

 

[mdfalls]

ahh in that case it was user error. I was on the last page, after I typed my response, trying to figure out how to subscribe! (haha.) I've been a lurker for a while but never actually created an account until recently, so I've never tried to subscribe to anything before. I'm currently trying to figure out how to set my Signature to my thread about my son's wish trip but apparently I am NOT very good at this because I can't seem to get it right! Sigh... But anyway, not to get off topic...This thread is amazing, and I haven't even managed to read all of them yet. It just makes my heart swell.

 

[KPeveler]

Wow, almost a year to the day since the last post.

With all the recent negativity, I felt like it was time to bring this thread back.

This thread is for magical, happy, memorable experiences you had in Disney. It can feature a person with a disability or their party, but that is not mandatory.

There is so much negativity associated with disability and illness in the world, I wanted a thread with positive stories that feature disability. It is not always a bad thing - and sometimes there can even be magic.

Let's see if we can add to this thread!

 

[999miles]

I posted on the typical board, but I think you guys will understand. Our new daughter spent 5 months in the nicu. We adopted her when she was 2.5 months into her stay. She's a 24 week micro preemie. She had some severe brain bleeds when she was born and developed hydrocephalus. She also had breathing complications and spent far to long on a ventilator. She now has a g tube, shunt, and will likely be diagnosed with cerabal palsy.

While she was in the nicu I would sing "a dream is a wish" to her and dream of the day she would be healthy enough to take to Disney world. We are going the day after her first birthday and have adr's at CRT for lunch. I bought her a Cinderella dress and am so excited to show her life outside the nicu.

 

[stephy1225]

-One day I was helping Mickey at the Oasis in Animal Kingdom (front of the park) when a young boy with a GKTW Button and a walker came up. He left his walker with his mom and struggled to walk up to Mickey. The mom began crying. Mickey was a bit perplexed but interacted with the boy and both had a great time. When we got backstage, I asked the attendant what was going on (she had been talking to the mother.) According to the mom, the little boy had MD. He was told by his doctor that when he returned from his trip he would have to start using a wheelchair- permanently. His wish was to walk up to Mickey Mouse unaided. Those were probably the last steps that little boy ever took. That is perhaps one of my fondest memories of my time in entertainment.

This touched my heart so much! I sit here reading these stories (and trying to hold back tears), but this hit home. I have MD and I know how hard it must have been for his mother to watch his last steps. These stories make me love Disney that much more!

 

[DopeyDad68]

A favorite among several memories was from 2006 when Dopey dropped out of the Stars in Motor Cars Parade to spend a few moments communing with my DS. Hope they have parades in HS again someday.

 

[Disnj81]

My last disney trip was 2 years ago. (it was a very long time in the making to get back. So I was very excited) It was a christmas family reunion. So to go to mickeys very merry christmas party was one of my dreams come true. Weil I have to use a wheelchair to get around the parks. Wow is all I can say. For four days I was princess Lauren. The cast members talked to me like I was important. (one of the things that get me upset is when people talk like I'm not there) They helped me on and off rides. Made sure I was safe. I had a blast that week. For one week I was a child again wth no pain or problems. I can't wait to get the chance to go back. I was a disney fan before but I'm even more now.
​

 

[50surgeries2012]

I have Apert Syndrome. It's highly visible to everyone because my face is different, and my hands are different too. Every trip to Disney World has been magical. Since 1999. I've had to use a wheelchair because of hip pain, and back pain. Today I still use a wheelchair because of back pain from my scoliosis. Especially for long distances. I use a power chair for independent mobility. Anyway, my most magical trip to Disney was in 2011. I've been to Disney countless times as my mom goes to Orlando in January every year for a veterinary conference. I guess you can say I'm a Disney veteran.

When I went in 2011 with my partner Dan Haugen, and our friends. The most magical moment was at the Nemo show. They had the four of us go backstage to meet the cast from the show after the show was over. It was fun. My best friend, and I were using our power chairs. So, we got to sit in the wheelchair section. But, getting to interact with the cast members who played all of the characters in the Nemo movie was a moment I've never forgotten to this day. Sometimes when Dan, and I are with our friends. That moment gets brought up sometimes in conversations.

We're talking about our upcoming Disney trip now that we'll be doing this year. We'll be there for the Halloween party, and I'm excited because I've always wanted to see it, and the Boo-To-You parade ever since I first saw the parade on YouTube. We're also going to celebrate my birthday there too.