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An e-mail and picture from one of my co-workers:
Dylan was the first wish kid I was assigned to. At 4 years old, he knew EVERY name of EVERY Star Wars character but didn't know what a wish was so we decided to wait until he was older.
His qualifying illness - a rare form of hemophilia - has done horrific things to him. His mom shared with me that when he was teething, his crib would look like, as she described it, a crime scene. His visits to the hospital are frequent and every day activities you and I take for granted are truly life-threatening. It's a genetic disease so Dylan will always be an only child and worse yet, has watched his uncle die from it. So Star Wars - all the movies, cartoons and video games - are a respite for Dylan. They are safe.
Right after his fifth birthday, Dylan was on the computer looking at Star Wars stuff when he first learned about Star Wars weekend (http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/par...-wars-weekend/). His mom called us immediately and exclaimed that Dylan knew what he wanted to do more than anything in the whole universe. At that time the spots Disney holds for Wish Kids were already taken but we were guaranteed he was the first one on the list for Star Wars Weekend 2011.
On Saturday, we invited Dylan to meet us at Cold Stone for a little sendoff party. What Dylan and his family didn't know was that our friends at the 501st Dune Sea Garrison had been called to help get him ready for his big trip. Attached is a picture of Dylan with his new friends. For 45 minutes, he asked Darth Vader questions like "Do you remember when you were fighting and your hand got cut off?" He choreographed elaborate fight scenes with the characters. They were amazing and gave him their undivided attention - even handing over their weapons so he could "put them all in jail." It was a life-sized action-figure set and really a dream come true. And that's just the beginning. Dylan has his trip yet to come and we all know the incredible magic those trips hold.
So thank you - for all you do every day. And thank you on behalf of Dylan, his family and the 501st. It really is life-changing, life-affirming work you do. And of course, May the Force be With You.
Dylan was the first wish kid I was assigned to. At 4 years old, he knew EVERY name of EVERY Star Wars character but didn't know what a wish was so we decided to wait until he was older.
His qualifying illness - a rare form of hemophilia - has done horrific things to him. His mom shared with me that when he was teething, his crib would look like, as she described it, a crime scene. His visits to the hospital are frequent and every day activities you and I take for granted are truly life-threatening. It's a genetic disease so Dylan will always be an only child and worse yet, has watched his uncle die from it. So Star Wars - all the movies, cartoons and video games - are a respite for Dylan. They are safe.
Right after his fifth birthday, Dylan was on the computer looking at Star Wars stuff when he first learned about Star Wars weekend (http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/par...-wars-weekend/). His mom called us immediately and exclaimed that Dylan knew what he wanted to do more than anything in the whole universe. At that time the spots Disney holds for Wish Kids were already taken but we were guaranteed he was the first one on the list for Star Wars Weekend 2011.
On Saturday, we invited Dylan to meet us at Cold Stone for a little sendoff party. What Dylan and his family didn't know was that our friends at the 501st Dune Sea Garrison had been called to help get him ready for his big trip. Attached is a picture of Dylan with his new friends. For 45 minutes, he asked Darth Vader questions like "Do you remember when you were fighting and your hand got cut off?" He choreographed elaborate fight scenes with the characters. They were amazing and gave him their undivided attention - even handing over their weapons so he could "put them all in jail." It was a life-sized action-figure set and really a dream come true. And that's just the beginning. Dylan has his trip yet to come and we all know the incredible magic those trips hold.
So thank you - for all you do every day. And thank you on behalf of Dylan, his family and the 501st. It really is life-changing, life-affirming work you do. And of course, May the Force be With You.
Attached Files
Yes, I'm all teared up, too, and not ashamed to admit it. I hope that little boy has a great time at Disney World, too.
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