Alba is only 23 years old and her life has been upended. The young wife and mother of two toddlers received her diagnosis only 11 months ago. “To say the least, cancer has devastated my family,” she writes. “I try to remain hopeful, but I battle with anger and fear. I don’t want to give up, but there are so many days when that’s exactly what I feel like doing. I still have so many places I want to see and experience.” Even though she grew up in Southern California, Alba has never had the means to be able to go to Disneyland; her children haven’t been, either. “I would love to have some time with my family where we can take a break from this nasty cancer. It would really be like we were all experiencing ‘The Happiest Place on Earth’ together for the first time.”
Cathleen “Cathy” is the single mother of four boys in their twenties. They are growing and beginning to make their marks on the world; it’s a time in all their lives that should be full of excitement and anticipation for what’s to come. Instead, the boys are watching their mother battle lung cancer, and Cathy worries about life without them. “I want a chance to make lasting, happy memories with my children,” she writes. “I love my boys more than anything, and hate the thought of leaving them. I would like to put the cancer on the back burner and just enjoy my boys in the Happiest Place on Earth, while I still can.” A Disney World vacation for this family would be Cathy’s final dream come true.
Blessed with a wonderful 12-year-old son and 8-year-old daughter, married for 14 years to his high school sweetheart, and never having missed a day of exercise or surfing, Chris had been on top of the world. Then doctors found cancer in a lump in his thigh he had thought was a surfing injury. “The bottom has dropped out of our world,” he writes. “We are devastated. We had so many plans.” One of those plans was a family trip to Hawaii. Chris’ whole family loves the beach, and have been dreaming of tropical paradise as long as any of them can remember. This young husband and father wants nothing more than to realize that dream while he still can. “My kids could have the memory in their hearts to treasure forever. They could say I kept my promise to take them there.”
A transplant from Michigan to beautiful Santa Barbara, Calif., James “Jake” – a pediatric surgeon – and his wife and three-year-old daughter had been making the most of their life in their new hometown. Then, in 2010, Jake was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). His decline has been steady; he can no longer work or write. His independence is quickly disappearing, and he has less than a year to live. A lifelong New England Patriots fan, Jake is thrilled that they will be playing in the upcoming Super Bowl, and he can’t wait to watch and cheer on his team. The only thing better would be to travel to Indianapolis himself, sit in the stands and watch game in person. Jake dreams to go to the Super Bowl with his brother – enjoying every moment of this once-in-a-lifetime experience… while he still can.
Her husband and four small children are at the center of Jessica’s universe. Despite having battled melanoma for over 10 years she always worked hard to provide for her family, and never took life for granted. Although she has undergone treatments and surgeries, the cancer has continued to spread, and Jessica has received a prognosis of one year or less. It would be a dream come true to leave the struggles and confines of cancer behind, and experience a magical getaway with her family. Jessica wishes for her children to experience the wonder of Disney World… and to create unforgettable family memories they’ll be able to cherish forever.
