Just thought I would share...My son was nominated for a Make a wish trip because of his Moyamoya diagnosis. In October we are heading to Disney to spend a week visiting the parks! Malachi loves animals so his wish was to going to animal kingdom and go on a safari. While we are there we get to go to  all the Disney parks and sea world! We can't wait! It will be so nice to have a week free of doctor appointments and therapy where he can simply be a kid!

If you have a child between the ages of 3 and 18, with a life threatening illness (like Moyamoya)  they may be eligible as well. While Malachi was refer to Make a Wish by a nurse, a parent can refer their own child as well!

My son Christopher was just granted a wish also! We will be going to the Beaches Resort that has the Sesame Street characters in Turks and Caicos during Thanksgiving week!

I am sure Malachi and your family will have a fantastic time in Disney!

You will love staying at Give Kids The World! They make you feel very special. The cottages are so roomy and have everything you need. They have some charectors from Disney come to the village. At the parks our family got on the rides right away and could even stay on and ride as many times as we wanted. Kathleen's favorite ride was the Winnie The Pooh ride in Magic Kingdom she rode it 6 times.
Mary Grace

My daughter, Haleigh will have her wish granted this May by going on the Disney Cruise.  It has only been 7 months since she was diagnosed and I still can't believe how far we have come.  From day one asking the doctor, "WTH did you just say, she's only 6!!!" to flying to Boston for neurosurgery, and now developing our "new normal" and turning this all into a postive working on raising the awareness of Moyamoya.  I hope you all enjoyed your trips to Disney and the Beach Resort.  Haleigh is over-the-moon excited about the cruise!!!! 

My 8 year old daughter got diagnosed with Moyamoya a few months ago.  She is scheduled for surgery in 6 days!  We also have a cruise in the Caribbean which we booked over a year ago which will be about 3 1/2 weeks after her surgery.  We will also be going to Disney World two days before the cruise.  I was wondering about a related topic -- the GAC (Guest Assitance Card) that you can get for guests with special needs.  This card enables you to stand in shorter lines at Disney World.  Will Moyamoya allow her to get this card?  I think you get a GAC if you go through Make-A-Wish, but if we don't go through them, would we still be able to get such a card with Moyamoya?  She should be physically "normal" after the surgery, but I'm not sure if she will be weak or anything like that just 3 1/2 weeks after the surgery.  Standing in 1 to 2 hour lines might be tough for someone after surgery.  Anyone have experience with the Guest Assitance Card and Moyamoya / recent surgery?

We had the same concern as you.  But Dr. Steinberg said this was plenty of time for her to heal before our vacation.  We asked a couple of times and both times he said she will be fine.

You can go to guest services and get the card with Moyamoya.  It is nice to have the wheel chair.  they will tell you that your wait may not be any shorter in the lines but they do try to get you in cooler areas.  Of they won't have a clue what Moyamoya is so be sure to tell them she is a stroke risk and needs to not over-exert.  Have fun on your trip!