Make-a-Wish

I can not say enough good things about this organization.

Make-a-Wish

 

            As Erik’s radiation treatments were coming to an end the Children’s Hospital put the Make-a-Wish Foundation in touch with us.  They wanted to talk with Erik and get some ideas as to what his wish would be.  We spent days talking with Erik about his wish.  There were so many choices out there.  Erik seemed to have three things he could not decide on: an X-box, meeting a famous person, or going to Disneyland.  Micah and I knew what we would like to see happen, but did not want to influence Erik in any way.  This was to be Erik’s choice.

            Some of our friends in Anderson, on the other hand, were worried Erik would waste his wish on a toy.  To help make his decision easier, an X-box with four games and two controllers arrived at my uncle’s house one afternoon.  Erik and Natasha both were so excited to open the large box, you would have thought it was Christmas all over again.  Now that one of Erik’s choices was taken care of he was down to meeting a famous person or going to Disneyland.  As much as Erik wanted to meet a famous person, Disneyland was starting to be just as alluring.

            The day of our home visit finally came.  Two representatives from Make-a-Wish, Keith and Kevin, arrived at my uncle’s house with gift bags in hand for Erik and Natasha.  The children quickly opened the gifts and were thrilled over the toys they received.  Once the introductions and gifts were out of the way, we got down to business.  What did Erik want for his wish?  After some talking about the two choices that Erik wanted, it was decided that his first choice would be seeing the famous person he wanted to meet, and second would be going to Disneyland to see Donald Duck.  Keith and Kevin left with Erik’s wishes and told us they would be in touch when everything was arranged.

Within two days we received a phone call saying that the arrangements had been made.  Our family would be flown to California to spend two days at Disneyland and one day at Knot’s Berry Farm.  We were all ecstatic!  What a great way to end our summer!

It was also decided that the foundation would send us straight home to Alaska, instead of flying us back to Washington.  It was just logical, since our home was in Alaska.  Micah and I saw it as an answer to prayer.  Natasha and I had both flown on one-way tickets, so we were not for sure how we would get home, or if we could get home the same time as Micah and Erik.  Now, thanks to Make-a-Wish, we would all fly home to Alaska together.

As the last week of Erik’s radiation treatments came to a close our excitement grew.  We were thrilled to be going to Disneyland; I even went out and bought a book on all the attractions so we could plan out our two days.  It was also exciting to know we would be home soon.  Our stay was starting get wearisome, and our desire to be in our own home and beds was growing.  Not to mention our dog, Max, who was staying with Albert and Barbara this whole time.

We busied ourselves with packing.  It felt as if we were moving again.  I could not believe everything we had accumulated in just two months.  We mailed back as many things as we could, mostly toys that were sent to the children.  Then we stuffed our suitcases, six in all, as full as we could to get the rest all in.  A few things we would have to leave behind to be shipped later. 

 

Finally it was Erik’s last day of treatment!  The doctor’s said everything was looking good.  Erik had responded very well to the radiation.  It was all very encouraging and positive.  Yet, Erik was not out of danger.  The radiation treatment was only to help the tumor from swelling and blocking off the fluid through the brain stem.  It was never to be a cure, but a hope to give us more time.

That morning Micah and Erik left for the last time just like they did for the last two months.  I wanted to go with them for the last day, but both Micah and Erik wanted it to be just them.  I would throw off their routine.  When they came back home, Erik had a huge bouquet of balloons, one being a large fish.  He also received a certificate of completion signed by the whole staff.  Micah had taken the camera to get pictures of everyone involved in helping out Erik.  It was finally over!

 

The following Monday we were taken out to dinner with Keith and Kevin.  Make-a-Wish treated us to a nice steak dinner, with a sample platter of desert at the end.  We had an endless flow of waiters and waitresses at our table to make sure Erik had everything he wanted.  Gift bags with more toys were presented to the children.

After we ordered our food, Keith and Kevin presented Erik with his Disneyland packet.  The airplane tickets, meal tickets, entry tickets for both Disneyland and Knot’s Berry Farm, and the hotel voucher.  Everything was arranged so we would not have any worries.  They even had spending money for souvenirs.  There was even a step-by-step itinerary for us to follow.

As the meal came to an end, and the desert platter was presented to Erik.  With huge eyes of delight Erik and Natasha each chose three of the deserts to eat.  The rest was of the deserts were divided up by the adults.  Our entire evening was magical.  Never had I experienced such five star service during a meal.  It blew Micah and I away.  After saying good-bye to Keith and Kevin, and thanking the restaurant manager and staff we headed back to my uncle’s house. 

 

The rest of the week was spent tying up all the loose ends and making sure we had everything ready and packed.  When Friday finally came we loaded up the van with our luggage and said our good-byes to my uncle’s family.  My uncle drove us to the airport where we would head south to California. 

As we walked into the airport Kevin and Keith were waiting for us.  Keith’s wife had joined them to see us off.  They all three helped us with our luggage and walked us through the ticket counter to make sure everything went smooth.  After we had our tickets in hand and luggage checked in we said our good-byes.  Our family then made our way through security and found our gate number.  After making sure we were all settled, Micah went to find us some coffee and juice to hold us over while we wait.

Within a half an hour the intercom announced our flight would be boarding within the next 15 minutes.  There was also a quick blurb about waiting for some VIPs to board first.  I wondered quietly who the VIPs were.

“Will VIP, Erik Reams, and his family please come to the boarding gate?” the flight attendant announced.

At first we looked around, stunned that Erik’s name was called.  Erik stood up grinning from ear to ear and headed for the gate.  The flight attendant then escorted us onto the airplane, where the pilot and flight attendants were all waiting to welcome us aboard.  We were shown to our seats right behind the first class section, and our carry on bags stored for us.  Then one of the flight attendants took Erik and Natasha into the cockpit to visit the pilot.  They were excited and liked sitting in the pilot’s seat.  Both of the children were given trading cards with the different airplanes on them.  Once the children were settled into their seats, the other passengers began to board.

As soon as the passengers were all in their seats and the plane ready to take off.  The flight attendant made all the regular announcements. The plane had a smooth take-off.  Once we were in the air, the flight attendant began to serve the first class passengers.  Once she was finished, she stepped to our row and served us also.  Erik and Natasha were in heaven at the special treatment they received.

The pilot came on over the intercom to welcome the passengers, “And a special welcome to Erik Reams and his family, for his Make-a-Wish trip to Disneyland.”

Cheers and applause filled the cabin.  Erik turned a little red, but beamed with excitement.  Our lunches were then served, first class style.  It was one of the most enjoyable flights we had.

We landed at the John Wayne Airport.  It was already hot and muggy.  After getting our luggage at the baggage claim we headed out to where the shuttle was suppose to pick us up.  Micah called the number on our itinerary.  We sat and watched as the other passengers came and went.  I was beginning to worry that we missed our ride, but according to our itinerary we were right where we needed to be.  We were the only ones left.

“This must be the one,” Micah finally announced.

Erik and Natasha started to smile as the bus came into view.  Disney characters were painted all along the side of a huge tour bus.  It stopped right in front of us and the driver stepped out to load our luggage.  Once we were settled in our seats, the bus driver looked to make sure no one else was coming.  It was just our family.  The driver then shut the door and headed towards our hotel.

I must admit I was not too impressed with California.  The air was full of a thick muggy haze.  All I could see was highways interlocking with one another and large buildings popping up everywhere we looked.  It made me miss Alaska all the more. It was exciting to go to Disneyland; since I had never been there, but even more exciting was that we would be going home.  It would be the end of fall at this point in Alaska, and the snow would be coming.  We had missed the short summer, but even more depressing we were missing the fall.  I quickly put all that out of my head.  We were supposed to be enjoying these next four days.  My uncle had told us that once we step through the gates to Disneyland it would be like all the cares in the world disappear and you just have fun.  That is exactly what we planned to do.

We pulled up to the hotel, which was right across the street from the theme park.  Erik and Natasha wanted to head over right away, but we had to check in first.  They were a little down, but Micah and I reassured them we would have lots of time to see everything.  Besides, that evening we already had reservations for dinner at Goofey’s Kitchen.  After being informed by the front desk that we were a little early for check-in, we walked across the street to get something to eat. 

The café was very homey and had a peaceful atmosphere.  The children wanted ice-cream sundaes, so Micah and I ordered some sandwiches with fries to share with Erik and Natasha.  We did not want to get too full and then not be able to eat our dinner.  After we ate, we headed back to the hotel.  Our room was finally ready and we got ourselves settled with just enough time to relax a little.  We could look our window and see the park, which made the children even more excited.  After they explored the room, we all settled onto the beds to rest.

Around 5:00 p.m. we got ourselves ready and headed the three blocks towards the main entrance to the park.  We decided to walk, since our reservation wasn’t until 6:00 p.m. and that would give us time to look around the Downtown Disney area.  Micah tried to rush us through the crowd of people, but Erik was showing signs of slowing down so I caught Micah’s attention to ease up the pace a little.

By the time we got to the restaurant, Erik was pretty tired and worn out.  I realized the whole walking idea was not the best choice we made.  We waited for about fifteen minutes before we were seated.  During that time different characters were showing up and having their pictures taken.  Natasha was starting to feel shy, but Erik was all for having his picture taken with as many characters as possible.  By the time the picture was taken we were escorted to our seat.

The rest of the evening was a parade of different characters coming over to visit with us.  We usually had one to two sitting with us at all times.  Natasha was not sure of any of it, and kept backing away from everyone.  Erik loved every moment, and even got up to dance with all the characters in the middle of the room.  It was an all-you-can-eat buffet style, so we took our time going back for food.  All in all we had a wonderful evening, and found ourselves stuffed after two hours of entertainment.

We left the restaurant and looked through the shops.  The Lego store was the children’s favorite.  We found some autograph books and hats for the children to wear the next day.  Then we headed back to the hotel.  We were all getting tired and had a big day tomorrow… our first day at the magical kingdom!

 

The next morning we quickly got dressed and heading back across the street to get some breakfast at the little café, which became a regular stop for us.  Then we decided to take the shuttle instead of walking, so Erik would not tire out too soon.  We arrived at the main entrance and Micah went to get our passes.  I took the children to get into the line to wait for the gates to open.  Micah found us just in time and as we walked through the gates all our cares seemed to vanish (just like my uncle said).

We headed for our first destinations… Fantasy Land and Toon-Town.  On our way we say characters ready to pose for pictures, so of course we had to have pictures taken.  Erik was thrilled to see his childhood friends in real life.  Natasha still was playing shy and hiding from everyone.  Micah and Erik were ready to get on some rides, but Natasha was still unsure about everything, so we decided to split up.  I was able to get Natasha on some of the rides and she started to loosen up.  We then decided to ride the teacups.  Just as Natasha and I sat down we looked over to see Micah and Erik next to us.  We all laughed and took pictures before the ride began.  Once it was over we took off for the next ride as a family.  Micah and I took the children all over the two areas that morning.  We hit every ride and shop we came across.  Some of the rides, like roller coasters, Erik did not want to go on (which was fine by me).  Micah and Natasha would go on those together. 

When we finally stopped for lunch at one of the places in the park, we made plans for our next destination.  The children were looking for certain characters and we were trying to time our visits just right, so they can meet them.  It was decided to head towards Frontier Land. 

As we were headed out again Micah suddenly steered us to a ride to our left.  I could not tell which ride it was and looked at him questioning.  He just smiled and said it would be fun.  As we got closer to the entrance I realized why Micah would not tell me which ride it was.  I should have known.  Erik and I both stood hesitantly.  There were no loops or big hills, so it shouldn’t be too bad.  As you can tell, I have a serious phobia of roller coasters, any roller coaster.  Erik was not too fond of them either, but I think it had to do with his balance issues caused by the tumor.  Micah and Natasha were beaming with excitement, and begged Erik and I to do just this one ride.  We relented, and got in behind Micah and Natasha.  I don’t know who screamed louder, but by the Erik and I were both holding onto the bar with white knuckles. 

We finished out our day doing mellow rides and seeing more characters.  Micah and Natasha did go on the log ride, but Erik and I remained with our feet on the ground.  I was amazed at all we got to see and do one that first day.  Erik was starting to get tired, and the heat was starting to wear on us all.  We headed back to the hotel to cool off in the swimming pool.  We would return later for the Night Light Parade.

I spent most of the afternoon in the pool with Erik and Natasha.  They were having so much fun I almost hated to make them get out.  We needed to get dried off, cleaned up, and eat before going to the parade.  It didn’t take us very long.  Soon we were heading back through the main gates to Disneyland and weaving through the crowded street to find a good place to watch the parade.  I kept a tight grip on Natasha and watched Erik closely as we followed Micah through the crowd.  The parade was an amazing show.  Erik and Natasha were thrilled at all the characters they got to recognize.  By the end of the night, we were all pretty exhausted.  We would all sleep sound tonight.

 

Day three arrived bright and sunny.  We started out our day much like we did the day before.  We had the choice of seeing California Adventures or returning to Disneyland.  Erik wanted to go back to Disneyland; the only draw back was he had not seen Donald Duck yet.  We were told that Donald Duck usually hung out in the California Adventures Park.  We started out the day visiting the areas of the park we did not get to the day before.  We went on a riverboat ride, walked around an island, paddled canoes, and witnessed pirates attacking a village (the one ride that actually scared Natasha). We walked over to see the futuristic rides.  Erik was thrilled when we got to go on the Star Wars ride.  Later Micah would take him back for two more rides.  We avoided any roller coasters, much to Micah and Natasha’s dismay. 

Once again, Erik started to get really tired by noontime.  Micah wanted to head back to the hotel, but there was still so many things we had not seen.  Natasha still wanted to meet the princesses, and Erik had not seen Mickey yet.  At the same time, we could not ignore Erik’s decreasing energy level.  We ate some lunch to give him time to regain some energy, but it was obvious it was not enough.  Natasha and I were pretty disappointed as we headed back towards the main gate.

Then I suggested getting a wheelchair for Erik.  We could push him around to all the rides.  Micah at first was set on heading back, but when we talked to Erik about the wheelchair he was all for it.  With it settled, smiles back on our faces, we headed to the main gate where the wheelchair rentals were and received a wheelchair.  Since we were wearing our Make-a-Wish buttons, the rental was free of charge.

It was our mission now to locate all the remaining characters that the children wanted to meet.  Erik was bound and determine to not let any of the female characters sign his autograph book.  It did not take long for one to realize he was playing shy and took his hat off to kiss the top of his head.  I snapped a picture, and the character signed Erik’s book.  After that, he would reluctantly allowed more of the girls to sign.

Natasha was determined to meet all the princesses.  Her favorite was of course, Ariel.  I stood in line with her, while Micah and Erik went to ride some more rides.  When it was Natasha’s turn, Ariel began to ask her questions about her family.  Natasha told Ariel about her brother, Erik.  Of course that started it all!  Ariel asked if Erik was a prince… maybe he was the same Prince Erik that Ariel knew.  Natasha’s eyes grew big.  Then when asked about a pet, Natasha mentioned our dog, Max.  Ariel’s mouth dropped with amazement.  Her Prince Erik had a dog named, Max.  Ariel looked at me, and I just shook my head yes.  We had never put the two together.  That meeting made Natasha’s day.  She had so much in common with Ariel!

We met up with Micah and Erik, Natasha had to tell them all about her visit with Ariel.  There were two more princesses Natasha had to meet, and then she would be done.  By this point I was starting to get tired, and the hotel’s pool was calling my name again.  Just as we were leaving the Fantasyland castle we looked over and saw the last two princesses.  They had split up and took their places at different sides of the castle.  We were the closest to Belle, so we got into line with her and ended up being first.  Natasha talked with Belle for a few minutes and sat with her to take a picture.  Then Natasha motioned to her brother Erik, and the whole Prince Erik story came up again.  Erik was a little embarrassed.  Belle posed for a picture with Erik and asked the children if they got to meet Cinderella yet.  We said we would be heading over there next.  She looked at the long line and Belle asked the people in line behind us to please wait patiently and she would be right back.  Then taking control of Erik’s wheelchair, Belle led Natasha through the crowd to the front of the line to meet Cinderella.  Belle introduced ‘Prince Erik’ to Cinderella, and the whole conversation about Ariel’s Prince Erik started all over again.  Micah and I were getting a kick out of it, as Erik turned red each time.  Natasha stood tall and proud at the attention Erik was getting, since her brother was now being referred to as Prince Erik. 

It was a great ending to our Disneyland experience.  I think it was just what we all needed to complete the magic of the place.  We spent the rest of the night relaxing back at the hotel and talking excitedly about all the fun we had over the last three days.  There was still one more day to go.  None of us could wait!

 

Our finally day in California was spent at Knot’s Berry Farm.  For the third day, we woke up early, went to eat breakfast, and caught the shuttle bus to the theme park before it opened.  The bus driver told us what time to be at the bus stop to get a ride back to the hotel. 

We walked up to get our tickets, and were given a sheriff’s badge that said VIP on it for Erik to wear.  We were told this would give him special privileges throughout the park.  There was also an instruction for us to stick around the main gate entrance for a special meeting that was arranged for Erik.  We went to the gift shop and looked around for a little bit, but stayed close to the main gate.  Then we were met by the park’s manager and escorted to a private area.  Snoopy then greeted Erik.  The children were thrilled!  They both gave Snoopy huge hugs, and we all posed for photos.  After about five minutes we were sent on our way to enjoy the rides.

Once again we were enthralled with everything we did.  We started out in the area with the children rides and worked our way around.  There wasn’t as many people there as there was at Disneyland, so it felt more laid back.  Every time Erik and Natasha went on a ride, they were asked if they wanted to go again before getting off.  If they said ‘yes’, which was most of the time, then they would stay in their seats and wait for the ride to start.  As we walked around, we found ourselves at an arcade and then we were in an old western town.  We walked into the saloon and ordered some root beers on tap, and enjoyed the cool air of the building.

We did not make it all the way into the larger rides of the park, which suited Erik and I just fine.  Natasha and Micah were disappointed they did not get to go on another roller coaster.  Our time was limited in order to make it to the bus stop.  Then we came upon the log ride.  Erik was hesitant, but we talked him into going.  He decided it did not look as scary as the one in Disneyland.  As we came to the drop, Erik and I both screamed, but Erik soon was belly laughing as we splashed down at the bottom.  Erik was asked if he’d like to go again, and of course, the answer was ‘yes’.  We stayed in the log and were sent through again.

After that, Erik wanted to find more water rides.  He was not disappointed.  There was a river raft with rapids we saw.  We were all anxious to go.  It was getting hot and the water splashes would feel good.  Little did we realize that it wasn’t going to be little splashes of water we would feel.  We all got into an inner tube and were sent on our way.  It started out mellow and then the first wave of water hit… I was soaked.  Erik laughed so hard that it started the rest of us to laughing.  He thought it was great that ‘Momma’ was getting all the water.  Then a wave came over the side and drenched Erik.  He gasped and we watched, holding our breaths, then all of the suddenly Erik let out the biggest belly laugh ever.  We were all laughing so loud they could hear us all through the ride. 

Erik ended up taking us through three more times before we finally got off.  The four of us was dripping wet from head to toe. Micah and I wrung all our clothes out the best we could.  We decided to get something to eat and sit where it was sunny to dry off a little.  It was almost time to leave, and we didn’t want to get on the bus all dripping wet.  Unfortunately, we were not able to dry off in time.  As we walked onto the bus the driver looked at us, along with all the other passengers, but we just smiled and sat down.

Even to this day, Micah and I still laugh at the thought of that ride.  It was the best ending to our California trip.  The next day we would be on our way home to Alaska.  The thought made us smile that much more.  We had been gone for too long, and we were ready to get back home to our friends and family.  Make-a-Wish gave us the best family vacation we could have ever asked for.  Now it was time to go home.