Scarlett was diagnosed when she was 3 years old with Platelet Storage Pool Disorder- a rare bleeding disorder which has left her with a life time of blood work, medications, restrictions and fears of life threatening situations. As soon as Scarlett found out about Make-A-Wish, she was ecstatic but nothing could’ve prepared her or us for the experience that was about to take place and the joy it would leave in our hearts and our minds forever. Prior to meeting Scarlett's Make-A-Wish team I had never even heard of Give Kids the World Village and to be honest was somewhat hoping she would ask to go to Disneyland vs. Disney World. We live on the West Coast and my husband and I have ample family members all over California to help with my very active 2 year old son, (which we thought would be necessary), so somewhere close seemed so much easier. We later would find out how lucky we were that after watching the Disney Holiday Parade......Disney World was now her #1 wish so she could see the parade, meet some princesses, and go to Animal Kingdom.After doing tons of research (my Type A personality shining through) and once we found out for sure we were going to Give Kids the World Village, we found out we would be staying at a magical 70 acre getaway that could only be described as the happiest place on Earth.
We knew going into the trip that we would be utilizing GKTW Village as our home base for our son. Walker needed to take naps mid day and we figured that would be a wonderful time to utilize times for each parent to spend special time within the Village with Scarlett . . . But we never would've guessed every time we would come back for naps that Scarlett would choose to stay at the Village for whatever Event was going on that night and never return to any of the parks. Reservations for La Hacienda at Epscot and our Disney Jr. Character breakfast at Fifth and Vine both got cancelled because Scarlett didn't feel like going. For the most part Scarlett completely ruled the trip and I don't think she'll ever forget it! We went in to the trip saying it was Scarlett's trip and that we would try and keep it a "yes week" as much as possible.... and I think we did an amazing job keeping up with this theme! The pure joy of knowing it was " her week" sparked a fire in her I think a Make-A-Wish experience could only provide and I'll never forget the smile she had on her face from the moment our limo picked us up until we got off the plane to come home....she literally was beaming the whole time!
But nothing could've prepared us for everything Give Kids the World Village had to offer. . . and the magical memories it will forever provide for our family. I think to truly understand The Village is something only a guest could understand. The feeling you get upon entering the House of Hearts Welcome Center and then walking out onto The Avenue of Angels is a feeling that is honestly indescribable and one that only someone who's experienced it themselves, can truly appreciate. GKTW is almost completely run by people of all ages: college kids, youth groups, local high school students, community members, etc generously giving up their time to keep GKTW Village running as smoothly as it does. They are there to greet you with a smile as you ride a pony for the first time at Keaton's Korral, throw a penny into the wishing well, grab some clubs at Marc's Dino Putt, or wave to you as you pass by them on the Enchanted Carousel for the 100th time. They're there to carry your trays to the table in The Gingerbread House, to deliver your food to your door from Katie's Kitchen or scoop you up some of your favorite ice cream. Whether they were helping Scarlett make her wishes come true in The Castle of Miracles or helping Walker throw the rings at Mayor Clayton's Birthday Bash. . . They did it graciously and with enough love and spirit to fill your heart.
Upon arrival to GKTW we were very anxious about what to expect. We had obviously gone on line and watched all the videos GKTW website had to offer but all the pictures and stories in the world really can't explain the feeling we got as soon as we stepped foot into the House of Hearts Welcome Center. We arrived after a 5 hour flight and a 3 hour time change. . so it was safe to say we were exhausted and anxious to see where we would be staying. 
We arrived on Friday March 28, 2014 and it was already past dinner time. . . after a quick run over some basics: our house key, our meal card, and when our Parent Orientation was. . we were rushed off to our villa. . . A newly remodeled perfect 2 bedroom, 2 bath quant little house with a kitchenette and a living room. Upon arrival we found a table full of gifts for the kids (more of which followed every day after that) and a fridge full of water and soft drinks. The volunteer that showed us to our villa ordered us some pizza while we were unloading our luggage and we were sitting down eating pizza and watching the new movie the kids had just received within 3 hours of landing. . . pretty impressive. Our first day was a long day of traveling but The Village instantly made us feel at home and after our bellies were full it was safe to say we were ready to go to bed and get ready for our first big day in Florida.
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On Day 2 we woke up and Scarlett was very excited to go see what The Village had to offer, so after walking over to The Ice Cream Palace and picking up some bagels, fruit, cereal and an omelet . . . while I rushed off to do the parent orientation where I received all my tickets for the parks, parking passes and information about Give Kids the World Village and the kids ate their first breakfast sitting in our beautiful kitchen looking out onto Amberville. After the quick orientation we headed over to Keaton's Korral where my daughter rode the horse twice and my son even hopped on for his first horsey ride. Both kids threw on their cowboy hats and headed over to The Enchanted Carousel after that where they rode the carousel for the first time and were delighted to find out that they could go on it anytime they wanted. By the end of the trip Scarlett said she "went on it 14 times and that she got to ride on every animal." After a few times on the carousel the children were ready to check out The Castle of Miracles and Amberville train station. We will never forget the first time we went into the Castle of Miracles and the feeling that came over us as we looked up and saw all those stars, it literally took your breath away. After the kids got a feel for The Village and promises of endless amount of time to spend there later, we convinced Scarlett it was time to head to Sea World. 
We went on a few rides at Sea World, saw some ocean animals and then we ended up getting rained out about 2 hours in. This was the only day rain put a damper on our trip . . . and we were literally soaked all the way through our rain ponchos and clothes by the time we got back to our car. The kids came home and took a warm bubble bath in their oversized bathroom and then we were headed off to the Carousel again and to meet up with my friend who lives locally. The kids made their magical pillows and Scarlett decorated her star to be placed by a fairy in the Star Tower. After all the excitement at The Castle of Miracles we headed out for some BBQ in the local town of Kissimmee before returning for The Big Bash Splash. At The Big Bash Splash the children played games, won prizes and got to meet Mayor Clayton and Miss Mary. . . the GKTW mascot and his wife.
On Day 3 we went to Magical Kingdom as soon as the kids got up and had some breakfast. Scarlett's big plan that day was to see the Move it, Shake it parade so that was our main focus of the day. . We went on a few rides but after the parade the kids were pretty beat so we headed back to The Village. While Walker was sleeping Scarlett and I headed over to the Park of Dreams for a little swim and some water play. While getting ready for The Candy Land Carnival at Mathew's Boundless Playground we ordered delivery from Katie's Kitchen to our villa. . . by far one of my favorite parts of the experience as a parent. . . I never had to worry about food. . We could order to our door or go get food from Katie's Kitchen and/or The Gingerbread house whenever we wanted and all we needed was our room card. . . I literally only carried my phone and that card whenever I was at The Village. . . it was wonderful. As with every day. . . we ended with some ice cream and headed to bed..JPG)
The morning of Day 4 was by far one of our biggest highlights of the trip . . . The character greet at Give Kids the World Village was so personal and the kids loved not feeling rushed and being able to meet Mickey Mouse, Pluto, Goofy, and Mary Poppins. Scarlett LOVED meeting all the characters and getting their signatures. . . She had made her own pictures with her own signature on them as well and was handing those out to every character she met. . . it was so adorable. We knew that meeting Mickey and his friends would make a huge impact on Walker (Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is his favorite show) but we never would've guessed the impression Mary Poppins would make on me and my daughter. . . She seemed to look into my eyes and understand everything our family had gone through in a matter of seconds and reached out and gave me a big hug too, praising me for all that I do and whispering words of encouragement in my ear. Mary Poppins truly touched our hearts that day and it was an experience I will never forget.
On Tuesday, Day 5 of our trip we went to Animal Kingdom. . . and we loved it. The first thing we did was go on Kilamanjaro and then we just walked around looking at all the animals and going on a few rides. Scarlett and her Daddy went on the water rapid ride and had a blast while Walker and I walked around and looked at the animals. The kids got to meet Winnie the Pooh and Tigger and we ate the best BBQ. Once we returned to The Village and Walker got his nap we had a family day at the pool and Walker put on his swimmies and bobbed around by himself . . . a big milestone for him. We had a lot of fun playing together and spent hours there to the point that Scarlett decided once again not to go back to Disney World that evening and instead decided on staying at The Village for Mayor Clayton's Surprise Party. After the party we took the kids out for a nice steak dinner and were home early so we could go to bed and get ready for our last day at Magic Kingdom. . .
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The last night we were in The Village we went and did everything one last time . . . and ended the evening with Village Idol. This was definitely Scarlett's favorite moment from the trip. Scarlett got to go up on stage and sing Taylor Swift with the audience cheering her on and making her feel like a true star.It's safe to say that Give Kids the World Village paid tribute to a majority of our most memorable experiences, happiest times on our trip and where we truly felt like we were at home.
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We never made it to Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and there were major portions of the parks we didn't make it to. . . but I wouldn't trade a second at The Village for a whole day at one of the theme parks. Only a parent of a child with a life threatening illness can understand the feeling of time almost standing still and that's almost what it felt like. . .Like everyone and everything in The Village was there to make our life as easy and stress free as possible. . .all while providing endless memories and experiences that will last a life time.
After returning home from our trip as we were putting all our things away I was asking Scarlett if she had fun on her trip and what her favorite parts of the experience were. . . After naming numerous highlights of her trip (being in Village Idol, getting all the characters signatures, swimming with the family, the jungle cruise and seeing Cinderella’s castle). . .she ended it by saying “I didn’t even think about my bleeding disorder, I forgot I even had it.” Now as you could imagine this brought me to tears. . . If this isn’t the reason you guys do this then I don’t know what is. . . A child who is reminded of her disorder every time she’s sent off to school every day had a whole week of never thinking about it once. . . ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!!! FOREVER GRATEFUL TO Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area and Give Kids The World Village for THIS INDESCRIBABLE EXPERIENCE!!
Written by,
Kari Peepe
©KariPeepe/atouchofscarlett.blogspot.com
http://atouchofscarlett.blogspot.com
Written by,
Kari Peepe
http://atouchofscarlett.blogspot.com
For more on our Make-A-Wish trip and lasting impression please check out:
- Make-A-Wish Part 1-Make-A-Wish is going to grant Scarlett 1 wish: http://atouchofscarlett.blogspot.com/2014/01/scarlett-makes-wish-part-1.html
- Make-A-Wish Part 2-It's Official: WE are going to Florida: http://atouchofscarlett.blogspot.com/2014/02/scarlett-makes-wish-part-2.html
- Make-A-Wish Part 3-Wish Reveal Party:http://atouchofscarlett.blogspot.com/2014/03/scarletts-make-wish-reveal-party.html
- Make-A-Wish Part 4- Dear MakeA-Wish and GKTW: http://atouchofscarlett.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-most-amazing-thing-i-could-never.html
- Make-A-Wish Part 6-A lasting impression:http://atouchofscarlett.blogspot.com/2014/06/a-lasting-impression.html
- Scarlett's story on Make-A-Wish, SF Bay Area: http://sf.wish.org/wishes/wish-stories/copy-of-i-wish-to-go/scarlett-disney-world
- Here's the piece I wrote for Give Kids the World: http://www.gktw.org/blog/our-happy-place/
- The gift of giving/How Make-A-Wish has taught Scarlet to give back: http://atouchofscarlett.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-gift-of-giving.html
- Make-A-Wish Part 1-Make-A-Wish is going to grant Scarlett 1 wish: http://atouchofscarlett.blogspot.com/2014/01/scarlett-makes-wish-part-1.html
- Make-A-Wish Part 2-It's Official: WE are going to Florida: http://atouchofscarlett.blogspot.com/2014/02/scarlett-makes-wish-part-2.html
- Make-A-Wish Part 3-Wish Reveal Party:http://atouchofscarlett.blogspot.com/2014/03/scarletts-make-wish-reveal-party.html
- Make-A-Wish Part 4- Dear MakeA-Wish and GKTW: http://atouchofscarlett.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-most-amazing-thing-i-could-never.html
- Make-A-Wish Part 6-A lasting impression:http://atouchofscarlett.blogspot.com/2014/06/a-lasting-impression.html
- Scarlett's story on Make-A-Wish, SF Bay Area: http://sf.wish.org/wishes/wish-stories/copy-of-i-wish-to-go/scarlett-disney-world
- Here's the piece I wrote for Give Kids the World: http://www.gktw.org/blog/our-happy-place/
- The gift of giving/How Make-A-Wish has taught Scarlet to give back: http://atouchofscarlett.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-gift-of-giving.html
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