Kids Wish Network grants Ririe boy’s only wish to visit Disneyland in California

Sept. 20, 2010 - PRLog -- When he was just one-year-old, Andrew was diagnosed with having a condition called Congenital Tufting Enteropathy. This is a disorder of the intestinal tract in which his body is unable to absorb the vital nutrients he needs to grow. Because of this, Andrew cannot gain weight and he is chronically dehydrated.

His doctors put Andrew on an IV “diet” of total parenteral nutrition or (TPN), which provides all of the body’s nutrients and essential vitamins without actual food, and that helped for a time. However, the IV line the doctors inserted to provide Andrew with his TPN got infected and he was hospitalized in the ICU for days before they withdrew the line. Andrew has since had a feeding tube installed to try to give him all the nutrients he needs. Because of the severity of his condition, Andrew’s immune system is severely weak to all sorts of infections and illnesses and it will only get harder for him to fight off these infections as time goes by.

Andrew’s grandparents donate annually to national children’s charity Kids Wish Network and at some point last year, his grandmother told the Kids Wish professional fundraiser about her little grandson; the fundraiser told the Wish Department and Andrew was soon approved to have a wish granted. What Andrew said he wanted more than anything in the world was to visit Mickey Mouse at Disneyland; his wish just came true.

“We had a blast in California,” said Andrew’s mother, Ginger. “He got to spend all the time he wanted with Mickey…Andrew met the princesses and got a kiss from Ariel – he liked that.”

While in California, Andrew and his family followed an itinerary given to them by Andrew’s wish coordinator that included accommodations at the Embassy Suites in Anaheim; tickets to Legoland, Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure park; a rental car and dinners every evening.

According to Ginger, Embassy Suites had coloring books, candy and fruit waiting for Andrew and his siblings when they got there, the Hertz rental car was reserved for a “VIP,” (a.k.a. Andrew) and at the restaurants, the managers all came out to meet the little boy and make sure that he and his family got the best treatment possible. Everywhere they went, Andrew and his family were treated like royalty.

“We had tons of fun,” said Ginger. “It was a good family time. Everyone was treated as special as Andrew was…it was wonderful because we normally don’t get to do things like this. Thank you.”

Kids Wish Network would like to thank the following for helping to make Andrew’s wish extra special: Guardian Angels Grace Kotick and Jacqlyn Blatteis, Communication Workers of America, Rocky Mountain Title Company, Holiday Inn Salt Lake City Airport, Hertz, Embassy Suites American – South, Disneyland, Disney’s California Adventure Park, Red Robin, Legoland, Ruby’s Diner and Lucille’s BBQ.

Kids Wish Network is a nationally recognized non-profit organization dedicated to infusing hope, creating happy memories, and improving the quality of life for children in crisis. Every child deserves a chance at happiness; a wish is just a way of bringing them that joy. If you would like to sponsor a child’s wish or if you know a child who is suffering from a life-threatening illness and may be in need of Kids Wish Network’s wish granting services, please call 727-937-3600 or toll free 888-918-9004. For more information on Kids Wish Network, visit their website at www.kidswishnetwork.org

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Kids Wish Network is a nationally recognized non-profit organization dedicated to infusing hope, creating happy memories, and improving the quality of life for children through their uniquely specialized programs.

http://www.kidswishnetwork.org