WoW! This has certainly been the week for good news! We just got word this morning that the Sunshine Foundation has granted Jaden's dream! The Sunshine Foundation grants dreams to children ages 3-18 who have serious illnesses, physical disabilities, or who have been abused. We have decided to use this generous grant to take Jaden & Luke on a cruise for families who have children with Down syndrome.
The 3-night Bahamian "Buddy Cruise" will depart Port Canaveral, FL on October 17, 2008. The event is designed to provide an opportunity for families from across America to come together and bring awareness to one of the most frequently occurring chromosomal deviations, as well as promote inclusion for individuals with Down syndrome.
The Buddy Cruise will feature the talent of Sujeet Desai, a 26-year-old accomplished musician born with Down syndrome. He and his wife Carrie have been featured in Wall Street Journal, Time magazine, and have aired on national TV shows such as The View, 20/20, and The Oprah Winfrey show.
Emily Perl Kingsley, who authored "Welcome to Holland", is scheduled to deliver the keynote address: “Thirty Four Years with Down syndrome. The ‘ups’, the ‘downs’. What I've learned from life with Jason.”
As a writer and activist for children with special needs, her experiences with her son Jason (an actor with Down syndrome) inspired her to include people with disabilities into the Sesame Street cast. She has received 17 Emmy Awards and 13 Emmy nominations for her work on SESAME STREET.
The 3-night Bahamian "Buddy Cruise" will depart Port Canaveral, FL on October 17, 2008. The event is designed to provide an opportunity for families from across America to come together and bring awareness to one of the most frequently occurring chromosomal deviations, as well as promote inclusion for individuals with Down syndrome.
The Buddy Cruise will feature the talent of Sujeet Desai, a 26-year-old accomplished musician born with Down syndrome. He and his wife Carrie have been featured in Wall Street Journal, Time magazine, and have aired on national TV shows such as The View, 20/20, and The Oprah Winfrey show.
Emily Perl Kingsley, who authored "Welcome to Holland", is scheduled to deliver the keynote address: “Thirty Four Years with Down syndrome. The ‘ups’, the ‘downs’. What I've learned from life with Jason.”
As a writer and activist for children with special needs, her experiences with her son Jason (an actor with Down syndrome) inspired her to include people with disabilities into the Sesame Street cast. She has received 17 Emmy Awards and 13 Emmy nominations for her work on SESAME STREET.
I'm sure I'll be writing more about this exciting adventure as our departure date approaches, so don't forget to check back for updates!
5 comments:
Congrats!
Sounds like fun!
Robin
Hi my name is Ginger and I am a SAHM with 5 kids that we also homeschool. Our youngest baby is named Emma and she is 16 months old and was born with Mosaic Down syndrome. I just wanted to say hi . I look forward to checking back on your blog and reading more about you and your family. our blog is http://dunham7.blogspot.com and I would love for you to look at our family.
Okay... I am jealous! *wink*
So happy for you guys. Tom says it is that McCarty luck again... but we know different!
Does Jared get to go too, or will he be in college by then?
I enjoy reading your posts. You should write more often... yeah, like you have time, I know...but hey, I can always try right?
Char
Thanks Char! We've decided to only take Jaden....the grant will barely cover airline & cruise tickets for the three of us. We might end up taking the baby too, but unfortunately, the cruise line charges full price for infants, so if we do, it will be out of our own pocket.
I wish we could take all of the kids, but we'd need about $4,000 extra to cover everyone. Jared will be in college by then (if all goes as planned), so now we're trying to decide if we should get a sitter for the other kids, or leave them alone for 4 days. Maybe "Aunt" Char would like to come to KS for a quick visit? Sound like a plan? LOL
Sorry I haven't written more...I can't seem to get any inspiration these days. I hate to just ramble on about nothing, although I'm pretty good at it! lol
Blessings,
Patrice
Hay Patrice, what you think is uninspired is manna from heaven for those of us who don't live in your world.
Tell us about Jayden's smile, or one of you older kids' latest driving escapade...
Tell us what it is like caring for all of those kids and what it is like to have a child with DS.
I didn't know there were different kids of DS... write an entry about which kind your boys have. What are their medical challenges?
I want to know what your weather was like today and how you feel about it.
What was the last good movie you watched?
How's that for inspiration?
Char
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