I have debated for a long while whether or not to post this, but given how negative some can be about WDW, their perceived loss of magic at WDW, and their perceived lack of caring of upper management, I really wanted to share this story.
Plus, I think credit should be given where credit is due!
(And I figured those who love the WL would love to hear this)
It's a long intro, but bear with me. Some of you may have read my October trip report. It was during that trip that I learned that a sweet friend's son- Carter, age 2- had been diagnosed with an inoperable, agressive brain tumor.
Carter's mom, Sarah, had already planned their family's first ever WDW vacation for November of 2011, but of course that trip had to be canceled/ postponed due to Carter's diagnosis.
Since October, Carter has been under the care of the very best doctors at St. Jude in Memphis. After 2 rounds of chemo, it was discovered that the chemo administered at St. Judes had not been successful in treating the tumor, in fact the tumor had grown slightly. So they were sent to North Carolina to start a new round of different chemo treatments. After the third round finished 2 weeks ago, Carter was evaluated and it was deemed that his white blood cell count, etc was acceptable and finally, finally!!!!! they were on their way to Walt Disney World!!!!!! :sohappy::sohappy::sohappy:
They arrived a week ago yesterday. Carter, Sarah, her husband, her older (4 year old) son and a babysitter to help them. They pulled into the Wilderness Lodge after driving from their home in South Carolina, to be greeted like royalty.
They were not Make a Wish, but they were certainly treated as if they were! They were given a wonderful room with an amazing view, were given some sort of access/ pass thing (they were able to get VIP seating at shows and such) and were told to contact the staff at the Wilderness Lodge immediately if they had any other needs.
Monday (a week ago today) was Hollywood Studios - a fantastic day making so many wonderful memories I know will be treasured forever. Tuesday was Animal Kingdom. Sarah posted the most adorable picture of their family with the cast of Nemo the musical - they were so happy!
Late Tuesday night, very early Wednesday morning Carter became very sick - throwing up constantly - and Sarah became very worried. She notified the front desk and they immediately called for an ambulance. Bennett (the 'head' manager from my understanding) began to personally look after them at this point. He advised Sarah on which hospital to go to and kept in contact with her offering any help the Wilderness Lodge could give.
Unfortunately, they received the worst kind of news at the hospital. Carter's tumor had grown again and he would need to be Med Flighted to St. Jude's immediately. Transportation to and from the hospital was provided on the house for Sarah, Carter, and Carter's father and brother (the exception being the ambulance ride I would suppose?) several times.
At first Carter was to be flown out immediately on Wednesday. Due to some mix up with the insurance (isn't it always the way?) they were postponed - on very short notice until super early Thursday morning. Bennett personally checked on them, made sure they had everything they needed and opened the counter service restaurant early Thursday morning, just for Sarah, so that she could have something to eat before they got on the medical airplane.
It. was. amazing.
The Wilderness Lodge could not have been kinder to this family in their time of need. The refunded them all of their unused meal credits, were flexible on checking out - first they needed to check out immediately, then they needed an extra night and then 2 extra nights because Carter's dad and brother and the babysitter had to drive home to South Carolina before heading to Memphis.
It was complete chaos in the face of one of the most difficult things a parent can endure and the Wilderness Lodge was there for them, reassuring them they were ready to go with the flow.
I give MAJOR props to the Wilderness Lodge, Bennett and WDW.
This isn't what this post is about, but of course it goes without saying that all prayers, best wishes, and positive thoughts for Carter and his family are much appreciated! You can read more about Carter and keep up with his story on his Caring Bridge site:
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/carterbucciero1/journal
(hope it's okay that I posted that?)
Thank you Wilderness Lodge for being so kind to my sweet friend!!!!
Plus, I think credit should be given where credit is due!
(And I figured those who love the WL would love to hear this)It's a long intro, but bear with me. Some of you may have read my October trip report. It was during that trip that I learned that a sweet friend's son- Carter, age 2- had been diagnosed with an inoperable, agressive brain tumor.
Carter's mom, Sarah, had already planned their family's first ever WDW vacation for November of 2011, but of course that trip had to be canceled/ postponed due to Carter's diagnosis.
Since October, Carter has been under the care of the very best doctors at St. Jude in Memphis. After 2 rounds of chemo, it was discovered that the chemo administered at St. Judes had not been successful in treating the tumor, in fact the tumor had grown slightly. So they were sent to North Carolina to start a new round of different chemo treatments. After the third round finished 2 weeks ago, Carter was evaluated and it was deemed that his white blood cell count, etc was acceptable and finally, finally!!!!! they were on their way to Walt Disney World!!!!!! :sohappy::sohappy::sohappy:
They arrived a week ago yesterday. Carter, Sarah, her husband, her older (4 year old) son and a babysitter to help them. They pulled into the Wilderness Lodge after driving from their home in South Carolina, to be greeted like royalty.
They were not Make a Wish, but they were certainly treated as if they were! They were given a wonderful room with an amazing view, were given some sort of access/ pass thing (they were able to get VIP seating at shows and such) and were told to contact the staff at the Wilderness Lodge immediately if they had any other needs.
Monday (a week ago today) was Hollywood Studios - a fantastic day making so many wonderful memories I know will be treasured forever. Tuesday was Animal Kingdom. Sarah posted the most adorable picture of their family with the cast of Nemo the musical - they were so happy!
Late Tuesday night, very early Wednesday morning Carter became very sick - throwing up constantly - and Sarah became very worried. She notified the front desk and they immediately called for an ambulance. Bennett (the 'head' manager from my understanding) began to personally look after them at this point. He advised Sarah on which hospital to go to and kept in contact with her offering any help the Wilderness Lodge could give.
Unfortunately, they received the worst kind of news at the hospital. Carter's tumor had grown again and he would need to be Med Flighted to St. Jude's immediately. Transportation to and from the hospital was provided on the house for Sarah, Carter, and Carter's father and brother (the exception being the ambulance ride I would suppose?) several times.
At first Carter was to be flown out immediately on Wednesday. Due to some mix up with the insurance (isn't it always the way?) they were postponed - on very short notice until super early Thursday morning. Bennett personally checked on them, made sure they had everything they needed and opened the counter service restaurant early Thursday morning, just for Sarah, so that she could have something to eat before they got on the medical airplane.
It. was. amazing.
The Wilderness Lodge could not have been kinder to this family in their time of need. The refunded them all of their unused meal credits, were flexible on checking out - first they needed to check out immediately, then they needed an extra night and then 2 extra nights because Carter's dad and brother and the babysitter had to drive home to South Carolina before heading to Memphis.
It was complete chaos in the face of one of the most difficult things a parent can endure and the Wilderness Lodge was there for them, reassuring them they were ready to go with the flow.
I give MAJOR props to the Wilderness Lodge, Bennett and WDW.
This isn't what this post is about, but of course it goes without saying that all prayers, best wishes, and positive thoughts for Carter and his family are much appreciated! You can read more about Carter and keep up with his story on his Caring Bridge site:
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/carterbucciero1/journal
(hope it's okay that I posted that?)
Thank you Wilderness Lodge for being so kind to my sweet friend!!!!
I work in a home health care agency and we see a lot of children going on Make-A-Wish trips and when they return, we hear about how wonderful Disney treated them. It just goes to show the magic is not all lost. I feel so many people are looking for the bad that they overlook the good too often. 
