Cancer's not going to stop us PTR/TR

Hey to everyone out there!

I'll explain the title of this thread in a little bit, but first things first. Let's meet the cast!

This is my grandniece, River. She is 2 years old and this will be her first trip to WDW.

And this is her older sister, Leah. She is 3 years old and this will also be her first trip to WDW.

Aren't they cute? LOL... The both of them have been watching a lot of Disney movies to know who the characters are and are excited to meet up with them.

This is their mother, my niece, Bianca.

Also going will be my folks. This picture was taken during our trip in 2011 at the Crystal Palace.

Had a great time during that trip.

Also joining the party will be my girlfriend, Jennifer. She goes to WDW about every other year with her family. However, it's only for a couple of days during the Christmas holiday. This will be her first time going for a full week and staying onsite. She'll also be celebrating her birthday while we are down there.

She's totally rockin' the Star Wars/Big Lebowski mix t-shirt! She's a fan of bowling, Star Wars and, of course, WDW!!! That makes her an awesome girlfriend!

And finally, this is me. My name is Todd and this picture was also taken on our trip in 2011. Obviously, getting ready to enjoy 'Ohana.

I know that the date says it was in 2010. However, the date, and time, was not set on the camera that we used. As you may have noticed, I'm wearing a Grumpy Dwarf t-shirt. He is my favorite character. I completely identified with Grumpy growing up. I had a hard exterior, but deep down I have a heart of gold and I'm very loyal, just like Grumpy.

Anyway, my folks, and I, had planned, last year, to take my niece and her two daughters to WDW. However, due to many "life" changing things, we were unable to go at that time. We had promised the girls that we would take them. So, we've managed to get things together and keep our promise to take them this coming September.

Well, about a month to two months ago, my mom had a cat-scan done. The results came back that she has cancer, again for the 4th time. This time it has affected her liver and part of her lungs. After several visits to several doctors, the diagnosis was pretty much the same. There really isn't much that they can do other than treat it with the most toxic cocktail of chemo possible to give her another year or two of life. The chemo is so strong that it will cause chemical burns on the skin. My mom, being the tough person she is, decided to do the treatments and to keep our plans on going to WDW.

Her doctors all agreed that if she felt well enough that she should go to WDW. Reason being that it's a positive influence. That if it makes her happy, it can help in fighting the tumors. My mom, being a huge fan of WDW, said that this cancer isn't going to prevent her from going on this trip. That, no matter what, she was going!

I was glad to hear that. I think she knows that this could be her last time to go to WDW, barring a miracle happening. So, we're going to do our best to make this a great trip for her. Having her 2 great granddaughters there for their first time and seeing it through their eyes is going to really make it special for her.

We've got photopass+ for this trip to take as many pictures as possible. We'll be staying at the OKW resort. We'll have 2 rooms. A studio for myself and Jennifer. A 2 bedroom for the rest of them. I'm really getting excited about this trip and I plan on posting as much as I can about our trip, as well as posting as many pics as I can...

Hope I can make this an enjoyable ptr/tr for everyone to read and follow...

 

[Obi]

here is a list of our scheduled meals/parks and so on.... a lot of the meals are character buffets for the girls to enjoy meeting the characters.

we'll arrive on sunday afternoon. check in at okw. get settled in, then take a boat on over to downtown Disney to do a little bit of shopping, eat dinner at wolfgang pucks express. need to pick up a couple of autograph books for the girls. find me a grumpy dwarf t-shirt to purchase. also need to get our card(s) for photopass+ and rewards card for our Disney visa cards points we've been saving.

on Monday, it's magic kingdom and also my gf, Jennifer's, birthday. will be doing some celebration there.
will have breakfast at 1900 park fare
dinner will be at crystal palace.
will probably be taking a break during mid day for the girls to nap and for my mom to have her tests done.

on Tuesday, it's epcot!
will have breakfast at cape may
will have dinner at via Napoli
break during the day to take naps for those that need 'em, possibly me.. LOL.... might do some swimming though.

on Wednesday, it's Hollywood studios
will have breakfast at Hollywood & vine
will have dinner at kouzzina's
another break for naps/swimming, etc..
love this park.. looking forward to fantasmic.. it's my mom's FAVORITE show!

on Thursday, it's Animal kingdom for a half day/downtown Disney for afternoon and evening is up for grabs.
breakfast will be at boma's
dinner will be at wolfgang puck's
and yet another break after we get back from ak.. LOL... need to restore my energy to have fun later in the evening....
I think Jennifer, and I, might take in a movie by the poolside at the resort that evening. not sure on that. play it by ear for now.

Friday it's park hopping/final shopping and so on day.
breakfast at 'ohana
dinner at chef mickey's
and, yes, another break.. need them there breaks... LOL...
Jennifer, and I, will be spending this day to ourselves. we both love epcot and Hollywood studios best. so, we'll be probably spending most of our time there. however, I know we'll head over to mk to catch the msep.. love the electrical parade....

Saturday morning is check out day.. got ressies for breakfast at Olivia's. figured we'd have a nice breakfast before heading on out...
no breaks scheduled for that day... LOL...
in all reality the breaks are really for the girls and my mom. the 3 of them will need their time to rest and that's alright with the rest of us. it will give myself, and Jennifer, time to hang out at the resort, go swimming or stay at the park(s) and do some of our things....

 

[farrellbarrel]

This trip sounds so fun!! Good luck with everything leading up to it...Cannot wait to read the TR!

 

[experiment624]

I like how you packaged in alone time for you and Jennifer as well as other breaks for different ones. It's always hard to do that when planning for others.

 

[Obi]

we're down to 54 days left... wow! finally in the 50's... we started to book this trip about 9 months out and it seemed like forever until this trip would be coming up. i'm getting more and more excited as each day passes. we're really needing this trip to get away from reality for a while.. too much reality...

i'm also hoping that mom will be able to make the trip. she still insists on going. however, this past week, she hasn't been doing well. her blood pressure has been very low for several days. breathing and eating wears her out. she saw her dr last week. since her bp is low, and at the current time she practically has no immune system, she has been told to stay in her house and limit her time around people. can't risk catching something from someone else and not be able to fight it off.

the hope is, and her dr's believe this will happen, that by the time our trip comes around, in September, that her body will build up enough strength to be able to handle the trip. so, we are all holding onto that.

I did get in touch with Disney to see if there was a hospital/clinic near by that will be able to do blood tests and have the results sent to her oncologist. Disney was so helpful in this. they told me that when we check in, to let the people at the front desk know what day and time she will need to have these tests done and they will have a crew, from a local hospital, come out to her room at the resort to have her blood drawn so that she wouldn't have to leave the resort. props to Disney for this!!

thanks again to everyone for the positive thoughts and prayers. I've been passing them on to her and she genuinely appreciates it!

 

[stevehousse]

Very impressed with Disney on that final note about the in room dr visit!

 

[dave&di]

I hope your trip will be amazing, your mum deserves it! Keep us posted.

Sending pixie dust to your family. Xoxo

 

[Obi]

down to a few weeks left. so much has been going on and planned for the upcoming trip.

I can't say what I've got planned for my gf's birthday, because she checks out this site from time to time, but I hope to make it the best birthday she's ever had. I will provide pics, possible vid, of what I have planned while i'm updating this trip report during our time there.

as for my mom, she had some recent tests done to see if the treatments have been working or not. she would have to make a decision based on that. the results came back to show that the cancerous lesions on her liver and lungs have shrunk a little bit. she's decided to continue the treatments. she had another round of it this past week. she's been talking to her oncologist, at ku med center, about the trip. he was adamant about her going and has rescheduled her last 2 treatments to be done after she gets back from the trip. this will give her 3 weeks to rest up to be able to go. she'll probably still need to be in a wheelchair and/or motorized scooter while there, but she'll be able to go to the parks and enjoy her time there.

I won't lie, these treatments have really knocked her down. I was really concerned that she wouldn't be able to go. however, they gave her a blood transfusion this past Friday. that has helped her to not be so run down. mom's a fighter, that's for sure.

thanks again to all that have been sending positive thoughts and/or prayers during this time. it's been greatly appreciated.

so, sorry for leaving a cliff hanger there on the plans I have for my gf's birthday surprise. guess you'll have to tune in to find out. I will say her birthday is September 16th and we will be in magic kingdom that day. so, if any of you are there during the same time, you might just get to see the surprise as well!

 

[afar28]

Hope you enjoy your trip! I send my prayers to your mother

 

[CtDisneyGuy33]

Have a good trip! I wish you and your family all the best

 

[Tigger19]

Have a great trip! It's not long now Sending well wishes to your mother and your whole family, Disney are so helpful, it's nice to know they care I can't wait to read your trip report and find out what the surprise for your girlfriend is!

 

[lbrad]

Sending good thoughts & prayers for you and your family!!!
Hope the Magic of Disney can put a smile on ALL of your faces.
Can't wait to read/see your TR
ENJOY ...I'll keep checking back for updates.

 

[FlaggNL]

I did get in touch with Disney to see if there was a hospital/clinic near by that will be able to do blood tests and have the results sent to her oncologist. Disney was so helpful in this. they told me that when we check in, to let the people at the front desk know what day and time she will need to have these tests done and they will have a crew, from a local hospital, come out to her room at the resort to have her blood drawn so that she wouldn't have to leave the resort. props to Disney for this!!

Not many people get me silent! Not irl and not online.... but when I was reading the above...... I mean hey! It is sad enough this happens, and happy enough she can join you and your family in the Disney trip! But was Disney will do for you and your mother never ever happens anywhere else! Even not in DLP!

Enjoy (for so far is goes from time to time) the pleasure before the trip and off course the trip itself! I hope that everything works out well!

 

[Mrs.Skellington]

We will miss you by one day! Have fun! I will continue to pray for your momma. Lost my dad 9 years ago to leukemia and almost lost my momma three years ago to evasive breast cancer. She fought it and is now cancer free! Good luck to your mom.
It's Disney the best!

 

[Obi]

thanks again to everyone for the well wishes, pixie dust, prayers and so on...

everything is set in motion. not much else to do but wait for these few weeks to pass by. feel like a little kid before Christmas... soooo much anticipation, and excitement, that it seems like forever for the day to arrive....

thanks to everyone for their support and my heart goes out to all of you that have been, are going, through this with a loved one. it can be so draining. however, I know that her spirit will be revived once we're there and she gets to see her great-granddaughters in awe when they arrive for their first time in wdw.

 

[Tigger19]

It'll be such and amazing moment for her to see her great-granddaughters staring up at that big castle in awe. I'm getting emotional thinking about it! You will make the best memories on your trip

 

[thrupaytonseyes]

Thoughts and prayers to you, your mom, and family. I hope this trip is extra magical. You all deserve it! Can't wait to read the TR.

 

[Obi]

wow! less than 2 weeks to go... can't believe we are almost there....

mom had more blood tests done last week. so many things were low, including platelets, that she got another blood transfusion done Thursday night. she's been doing a little better, especially after the transfusion. she's got more color in her face, she's more alert and is able to physically do more. having the rest of this week and all of next week to rest, hopefully, she'll be able to go and enjoy the trip.

she is also keeping a sense of humor on all of this. she's been telling her friends that she failed her blood test. *laughs*.... mom's always been a fighter.

so, with that said, i'll be doing my best to keep everyone updated.

 

[Obi]

here we are with one week left to go until we leave for wdw!!! all of us are getting excited. my folks, and I, have been doing some things to help get everyone even more excited and fired up about going.

for instance, since the girls are 2 and 3 years old they still don't completely understand time/days and that sort of thing. however, they are starting to learn that by a process of what we call "sleeps". LOL. they understand having to go to bed at night, to sleep. they are also learning to count as well. so, to help them learn their days they count how many sleeps they have. I also helped them along by putting together a wdw trip countdown calendar. it has the last week on there so that they can mark off each day, when it arrives, to help them understand how close it really is to when we leave for the trip.

here is a pic of their countdown calendars I made for both girls.

my folks, and I, invited my niece, Bianca, and her girls over to my folks place last night to give them their countdown calendars and also to give them another surprise that my folks got for the girls.

about a month ago, my dad and I received an email about a huge sale for Disney park items. one of the items was Cinderella's castle. my folks ended up buying one as a Christmas present for the girls. however, they decided to give it to them last night to get them fired up about this trip. the girls were EXCITED!!! they LOVED the castle and spent a couple of hours playing with. below is a few pics that I took of them. I believe my mom is in one of them too.

my folks, and I, cannot wait to see the look on their faces when they get to see Cinderella's castle at wdw! my dad took a little video of the girls playing with their castle. not sure if anyone is interested in seeing that video, but I'll see about posting it if people are interested.

 

[LizC]

we're down to 54 days left... wow! finally in the 50's... we started to book this trip about 9 months out and it seemed like forever until this trip would be coming up. i'm getting more and more excited as each day passes. we're really needing this trip to get away from reality for a while.. too much reality...

i'm also hoping that mom will be able to make the trip. she still insists on going. however, this past week, she hasn't been doing well. her blood pressure has been very low for several days. breathing and eating wears her out. she saw her dr last week. since her bp is low, and at the current time she practically has no immune system, she has been told to stay in her house and limit her time around people. can't risk catching something from someone else and not be able to fight it off.

the hope is, and her dr's believe this will happen, that by the time our trip comes around, in September, that her body will build up enough strength to be able to handle the trip. so, we are all holding onto that.

I did get in touch with Disney to see if there was a hospital/clinic near by that will be able to do blood tests and have the results sent to her oncologist. Disney was so helpful in this. they told me that when we check in, to let the people at the front desk know what day and time she will need to have these tests done and they will have a crew, from a local hospital, come out to her room at the resort to have her blood drawn so that she wouldn't have to leave the resort. props to Disney for this!!

thanks again to everyone for the positive thoughts and prayers. I've been passing them on to her and she genuinely appreciates it!

I know I am late, but this is wonderful! Wonderful that Disney is being so accommodating and wonderful that your mother will get to have such a magical time with her family. Here's to hoping some of that Disney pixie dust rubs off on your Mom!

I'm looking forward to reading your trip report. Have great trip!

 

[real mad hatter]

Have been reading in the background..I get too emotional on these kinda threads...Hope you all have a magical time..Love from Scotland..