I was diagnosed with a Stage 4 Wilm’s tumor when I was two. In 2001, my family and I stayed at Give Kids the World as part of my wish trip after a year of battling cancer. Although I was extremely young when my wish took place, I grew up with an amazing photo album that captured my memories and experiences! My wish trip gave my family a sense of normalcy and much needed time to breathe after a year of such extreme stress. (click for more)
Tucked away in Miss Pitty Pat’s Garden of Hope is a special place called Bethany’s Garden, named after a special little girl, wish kid Bethany. It’s a place where our very own Mayor Clayton and Ms. Merry call home. Bethany’s wish trip was in April of 2004 and according to her grandparents Kerry and Diane Slaven who are lovingly known around the Village as Mama Bear & Papa Bear, Bethany loved Give Kids The World more than any of the amusement parks. While she enjoyed all the Village activities, she always gravitated to her favorite place, Mayor Clayton and Ms. Merry’s house. (click for more)
Everyone who knows me knows that if I could pick the vacation destination each summer, I would pick Walt Disney World without hesitation. However, while on my wish trip in 2016, I discovered my second favorite place, and it’s not a theme park! (click for more)
Give Kids The World Village is filled with family-friendly and accessible entertainment, and one of our most popular of those offerings is Marc’s Dino Putt. Take a dive into how this course came to be, what we’re up to today, and even test your knowledge with a quick quiz. (click for more)
At the beginning of 2001, we were a happy, go-lucky family but by July of that same year our lives as we knew them came to a halt. At three-years-old I was diagnosed with stage three Wilms’ Tumor that had metastasized to other lymph nodes in surrounding areas. I underwent intensive chemotherapy and radiation treatments. These treatments debilitated me from being able to walk, eat and be a normal kid. All hope was taken away from my family the day I entered the hospital’s hospice program. The doctors told my family that I had a few months left to live, and I was eligible for a “wish” from my local wish granting organization. This was a scary month for both my family and the country, as it was during the same time as 9/11. Little did I know how my cancer and this trip would change the course of my life. (click for more)
