The Disney World dreams of a 4-year-old Ohio girl who’s recovering from leukemia are looking better this week after plans for the Make-A-Wish Foundation to pay for the trip were scrapped.
The girl, McKenna May, completed intensive treatment in June for the cancer she was diagnosed with more than two years ago. It was that treatment that prevented her from going to Disney when the Make-A-Wish trip was first discussed in January 2011, McKenna’s grandmother, Lori Helppie, said Thursday.
But McKenna is now on once-a-month aftercare visits that would allow time for her to make the trip to the Magic Kingdom, her mother, Whitney Hughes, told CNN.
However, McKenna’s father, William May of Toledo, Ohio, who was never married to Hughes, says Make-A-Wish’s money would be better spent on terminally ill children who will never get to experience Disney otherwise since his daughter is free of cancer.
He’s refusing to sign paperwork that would allow the foundation to pay for McKenna’s trip.
“There’s children out there that deserve a trip like this that will never get to experience it,” May, 28, told CNN Thursday. “My daughter can go when she’s older and can remember it. I’ll pay for it.”
Rather than pay upwards of $3,500 for McKenna and her family to go to Florida, May suggested the group just get the girl a $200 swing set for her backyard.
Paul Allvin, vice president for brand advancement with Make-A-Wish Foundation of America in Phoenix, told CNN a child need not be terminally ill to qualify for wish fulfillment. That was the case when the organization started, but the policy changed more than 20 years ago, he said.
These days, all a child needs to qualify is a doctor's verification that the child has or had a condition that would be life-threatening if left untreated, Allvin said. As many as 80% of "Wish Kids" live into adulthood, he said.
"What we would never do is penalize a child for getting better," Allvin said.
Susan McConnell, president and CEO of Make-A-Wish for Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana, told the Sentinel-Tribune of Bowling Green, Ohio, that McKenna is certainly entitled to the organization’s help.
Hughes agrees with McConnell, saying her daughter endured a lot during her treatment and deserves the Florida trip.
"She's really excited," Hughes told the Sentinel-Tribune, which first published accounts of McKenna’s story this week. "It's all she's talked about for the last three months."
After May refused to sign off on the trip last month, Hughes withdrew her request with the Make-A-Wish Foundation and tried to raise money privately, putting out collection jars around the area where they live and setting up an online donation site.
Hughes said Thursday it will take $3,500 for her, McKenna, McKenna’s younger sister and her grandmother and grandfather to spend a couple of days at Disney and a couple of days at Daytona Beach “to build sandcastles.”
McKenna’s mother and grandmother have also set up a site to accept donations online, http://www.gofundme.com/Make-McKennas-wish-happe. That site showed a flurry of donations Thursday as McKenna’s story spread across national media and donations passed the $9,700 mark early Thursday evening.
“I will get her there someday, but I’m not sure when I’ll get her there,” Hughes said Thursday morning. With the online response, it appears McKenna’s dream may come true sooner rather than later.
Nevertheless, "We are ready to grant this wish if the parents can work it out," Allvin said.
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If this dad cares so much about the waste of money, why wouldn't he just donate to Make-a-Wish for another kid? What kind of parent would refuse a trip for their kid after their kid went through CHEMO? Oh, she lived, so she must not deserve it enough. He sounds like he's got a terminal case of rectumitis gigantis. WHAT A JERK!! I hope this kid lives long enough to pick out his nursing home.
well, it sounds like they have more than enough now to take her to disney. who wants to bet her dead beat father tries to wrangle some of that cash for himself? if i had him here in front of me i'd kick the crap out of him, what an absolute piece of dirt. all because he wasn't invited too? MAW ought to amend their policy to say that it's the primary custodian who needs to sign off. why should they need his o.k.? he wasn't even allowed to see the girl until recently, he's had next to no involvement in her life, why should he have any say in this? omg, this makes me sooooo mad. he would deny his own child the trip of a lifetime because he wasn't invited. let her go when she can remember? MY daughter remembers the trip we took to sea world when she was 4. why wouldn't this girl remember disney?
My cousin was a "Wish Kid" of the unfortunate unsurviving 20%. Suffering from leukemia, he was granted his wish to go to Disney just as this little girl did. Tragically, he fell critically ill on the flight and he was rushed back to St. Jude Children's hospital where he lost his battle. I say all this to say that there is no way for us to see into the future. No one (not even the jealous, excluded, and estranged father) should be able to hinder this magical wish. This precious little girl has fought through a battle many of us have never experienced. Let's celebrate for her while she's "cancer free." She deserves it.
The so-called father is a cold-hearted, self-centered jerk. I have survived cancer, and it was not an easy process. The little girl deserves every good thing that she can get, and so does her family, which does not include her spern donor.
This is a classic case of the father "punishing" the mother, for having custody. What a selfish, disgusting little man.
let her go thats a bunch of bs. just bc the girl isnt sick at the time doesn't give them a right to take away a wish. my younger brother is in remission and we got sent the the NFL pro bowl in Hawaii. make a wish is a way for family to forget about every thing bad and relax for once. fighting a deadly disease is no joke and this girl deserves to go
I agree with Ted Arnold 100%. This child is in remission. No child should ever have to go through what she has (is)! For this father to take it away from her, whatever his reasons or motives, is just wrong. I am also upset with the Make a Wish foundation for such implementing the "both parents have to agree" rule. There should be exceptions for children such as this little girl. If the parents are separated or divorced, the custodial parent should be able to make the final decision if he/she can prove that the non custodial parent has not been involved in other decision making aspects of the child's life. That is my opinion. But, regardless the child should be able to go. The point of the MAW foundation is to give these kids back part of the childhood that they have lost or may never be able to have due to illness. If the mother of this child is reading these comments, contact Kidd's Kids.
cancer. what a hideous sounding and deadly word. let that child go to disney. the father has a real problem: he is not into parenthood, but jerkmania prevails within his personna. he is probably one who eats cough drops like candy. he probably will use his tax refund when she is in her twenties and say she can now take that disney trip....what a jerk.
I understand why some of you are inclined to sympathize with the argument that a child with a few months left to live should take priority over a child who has recently completed treatment. However, this stems from a misunderstanding of how wish programs work. Wishes are promised to children diagnosed with a variety of life threatening illnesses, often right after diagnosis. No one is taking wishes away from children in their last moments of life. Wishes are not granted in the order received putting some kids ahead of others. Each family who is promised a wish contacts their wish grantor when they feel the time is right to make the wish. No terminally sick child would be told, sorry someone is ahead of you. There is a coordinated effort between wish programs, physicians, volunteers, theme parks, etc. to create wishes for ALL children diagnosed with life threatening illnesses. Their resources are vast and the efforts immense to provide these children with an amazing experience to look forward to while enduring nightmarish treatments. Any oncologist or oncology nurse will tell you how important these wishes are to sick children.
It is also important to explain that going on a wish trip to Disneyworld is not the same experience you receive when you go on your own. My daughter had a wish grantor who showered her with attention for months before our trip and provided her with a sendoff party. A limousine took us to and from the airport. Wish kids stay at a special place (Give Kids the World Village) an independent charity that in addition to providing some much needed fun, provides handicap accessible accommodations, on site nurses, visits from Disney Characters, etc. In addition, wish kids are given special treatment at the parks by the staff and characters who are trained to look for the wish kid badge that you wear. The badge allows you to go to the front of the lines for rides and character meetings. The list goes on and on. These charities and volunteers work tirelessly to provide a much needed experience for these kids who have endured so much in their young lives.
When we ask our 9 year old daughter about the time she had cancer she has more memories of that 1 week trip than of the nightmarish treatments she endured in the years prior. She was 4 at the time of her trip and she remembers every moment. It is impossible to put into words the gift it was to our entire family.
Thanks for that perspective and additional info that most of us probably didn't know. I hope your daughter continues to do well.
And I think this guy is being a huge jerk. He needs to step aside and let his daughter go on her trip. Hopefully her remission will last, but it takes usually 5 years to be considered cancer free and he does not know what the future holds for her.
Make-A-Wish offered, the trip was planned, the 4-year old girl knew about the trip, now the trip is being taken away from her. That's a shame!!!!! The father says he will pay for a trip when the little girl is older and can remember the trip. This is all a "control" technique for the father in a family separated situation and SHAME on the father!!!!!! The one with the money often attempts to control the situationl!!! As far as remembering the trip? Disney World is a magical place and that little girl will remember bits and pieces of the trip. In fact two days may not be enough time to experience the magic. Again, SHAME ON THE FATHER!!!!! If he ever wants to achieve any sort of custody with his child he needs to learn to work with the mother instead of against her. He needs to learn that money does not control the family. And this all goes for any women who are in a similar situation. Money does not control!!! Children need time with parents they don't care about the money. SHAME ON THE FATHER!!!!
are you kidding me the word is remmission not cured she is 4 years not 4 months for what she has been through she should go GOD forbid something goes wrong then what(dip weed of a sperm donor) this from a DAD DO NOT STEAL HER SHOT AT HAPPYNESS
“There’s children out there that deserve a trip like this that will never get to experience it,” May, 28, told CNN Thursday. “My daughter can go when she’s older and can remember it. I’ll pay for it.”
Why is this a bad thing? He's cold hearted for wanting to send the money to kids who won't have a breakthrough like his daughter?
How said would it be if Make a Wish were only for children who were going to die. What kind of message does that send to those children? Children aren't stupid. Many of the older ones would figure it out. If you get a Make A Wish trip, and they are only for children who are dying, that means you are going to die. What an awful, terrible message that would give to children. Instead, it is for very sick children, many of whom get well and live long, happy lives. It is a message of hope.
HOPE is a large part of fighting cancer - this little girl had hope and something to look forward to, what kind of idiot would take that away from her now?
It is so obvious the sperm donor half of her parental unit is jealous as heck at not being included on the trip. That is the only reason he is objecting and it is obvious. Hopefully, one day that little girl will get to grow up and One day when she is older she will be able to look this story up and judge for herself. What you gonna do then -promise her a car if she forgives you for denying her dying wish? Gifts may buy a lover but they do not buy love. You will not be forgiven dude.
I had a son that beat cancer and felt guilty for taking a Make-a-Wish trip , as he had beat cancer it should go to someone that was not going to make it but we went as everyone said take the trip we did.He
relapsed 2 years later and was gone in a few months the trip is a memory that we will always have! take the trip and make memorys you never know what will happen in life.
My Condolences, My best friend & I both made it through treatment to remission. My friend's cancer recurred. On the 31st of this month, I will light another candle.
the father saying he will take the child later is outrageous. She is in remission, but cancer can come back, what makes him think he has the right to take away something so special to this little girl. Get a grip dad!!!