Christmas 2008 is one the Waidmann family will remember always. It follows a memorable December trip to Walt Disney World, which 11-year-old Brock chose as his dream destination through the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Oregon’s wish-granting program. Parents Rhonda and Mel, along with kids Brock, Melvin, 8, and William, 5, were recently whisked to Florida for an unforgettable adventure.
“It was so fun. I don’t even know how to put it into words. It was definitely the trip of a lifetime,” says Rhonda, Brock’s mother.
Brock, an avid “High School Musical” fan, chose Walt Disney World so he could watch a “High School Musical” pep rally. During the second day of the trip, the Waidmanns went to Hollywood Studios at Disney World to watch one of the shows, which was followed by a parade.
“They kept pulling kids out of the audience,” says Rhonda. “At the end of the show, one of the girls from the cast came over and said, ‘Would you guys mind following us backstage?’ We said OK and so they had us parade down the street with the float. Then they took the float behind these two big doors. A guy came out and got us, we went behind the doors, and the whole cast from Disney World was standing there and they all said, ‘Hi, Brock!’ We got to spend about 10 minutes talking with them. We took pictures. It was just so awesome.”
For Brock, it wasn’t just awesome – it was a wish fulfilled.
And for Rhonda, seeing his wish fulfilled was enough to bring tears to her eyes.
“Of course I was crying, which the kids all thought was funny, that Mom was crying,” she says.
As previously reported, Brock has spina bifida and agenesis of the corpus callosum, or ACC. With the spina bifida, he has no feeling from the ankles down and uses crutches or a wheelchair to get around. With the ACC, he is missing his corpus callosum, the band that connects the right side to the left side of the brain. This causes a comprehension delay.
The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Oregon aims to grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions and to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. Since its inception, the chapter has helped to grant the wishes of more than 2,000 local children, including Brock.
The trip was timed perfectly – they were there for the annual Christmas party at the Give Kids the World Village. Mickey, Minnie and Santa mingled with everyone and the kids enjoyed cookie-making stations, donated wooden toys and an elaborate Christmas buffet prepared by the Florida Association of Chefs.
Rhonda says that Brock made friends with a little girl with cancer from Cleveland, Ohio, who was also there for a wish trip. A year older than Brock, the two bonded and exchanged e-mail addresses. Rhonda says it was fun to watch him make friends.
When volunteer wish granters Karen Koch and Dixie Amos first told Brock his wish would be granted, they promised a special experience. Rhonda says that experience far surpassed any of her expectations.
“With Make-a-Wish, everybody knows the name. When we flew to Florida, we waited for his wheelchair to get off the plane, so we were the last ones off. The pilot let them come up and sit in the cockpit and put on the captain’s hat, so that was really cool. On the sailboat cruise ride at Disney World, they let Brock steer the boat, so that was really fun.”
Brock and his brothers enjoyed going on the rides, which took them from the Caribbean to Kilimanjaro and everywhere in between. They played in a life-size Candy Land game, where they acted as the game pieces. The Waidmanns enjoyed going to Sea World, where Brock especially liked petting the dolphins and learning the hand signals. The kids met one-on-one with Disney characters, like Minnie, Mickey and Pluto. Each day during the week-long trip, a new adventure awaited the family.
“When we were leaving, Brock was crying. He didn’t want to leave the Village. He just wanted to stay there,” says Rhonda.
As soon at the Waidmanns returned to Beaverton, they had to begin packing for their move to California. In the midst of packing and prepping for both a move and the holidays, Rhonda took a moment to reflect on what the experience meant to her.
“The treatment and attention we received – not only just Brock, but our whole family – it was so fantastic and it really made it special for him. I am just so grateful,” she says.
For more information about the Make-a-Wish Foundation of Oregon, visit
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