A Touch of Scarlett, our journey with a rare bleeding disorder

Dear Make-A-Wish and Give Kids the World Village, My name is Kari Peepe and I am the lucky parent of Miss Scarlett Peepe. . . We just got back from Florida yesterday and we are literally beaming and my jaw hurts from smiling so much from watching my daughter in a state of such pure joy for one whole week. Scarlett Peepe 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.   Scarlett’s wish was to go to Disney World to see the parade, meet the princesses, and see the animals at Animal Kingdom.  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. The smile on her face that appeared on her wish reveal day has truly remained there ever since. ...

The day we told Scarlett she was going to Disney World is a day we will never forget . . . .The anticipation up to it was a little much, but it was all well worth it in the end . . .The look on her face is one that will be engrained in my brain forever . . .  her smile was bigger than I had ever seen on her before.  Leading up to the day of the party was really hard because she literally didn't know anything . . . but all the anxiety and secrets really paid off.  A couple days before the party we told Scarlett that we heard there was a party at a local park where you could dress up in Disney clothes, an idea that was totally plausible for a 5 year old.  It was so hard not to blow our cover as she asked each family member she saw prior to the party if they wanted to come to this crazy Disney party Momma was talking about. . . they of course all acted shocked and accepted as if it was a great idea. We found out Make A Wish was sending us to Disney World about 5 wee...