Megan gets her wish at DisneyWorld

Published 1:15 am Saturday, October 31, 2009

When Billie Jo and Stuart Eatmon received a call from national children’s charity Kids Wish Network asking about their daughter, they weren’t sure what to make of it, but told the caller about their little girl, Megan, anyway.

At a year old, Megan was diagnosed with Dandy Walker Syndrome, which is a rare congenital brain malformation.  Because of this, she suffers frequent migraine headaches and unpredictable seizures. While Megan grows, her brain continues to grow with her while her skull does not. She is constantly in and out of the hospital for various tests and scans.

Through the Kids Wish Network, Megan and her family visited Universal Studios’ Islands of Adventure, Sea World, Disney’s Animal Kingdom and the Magic Kingdom. Megan and her siblings rode rides, watched shows and had a great time.

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Of all the amazing things the spunky 5-year-old enjoyed while visiting theme park upon theme park in Florida, meeting all of the characters and superheroes really made the trip special for her.

“She just loved meeting them all,” said Stuart Eatmon of Megan’s meetings with her favorite characters. “If you could’ve seen her eyes…they were just glittering! I’ve never seen her as happy as she was down there [in Florida]!”

“Our memories of this special time will last a lifetime,” said Billie Jo Eatmon. “Thank you and your organization for giving families like mine — who are under hospital stays, bills and worrying over how much time our child has — a chance to have fun that we got to enjoy a week with our family.”

Kids Wish Network worked with several organizations to make Megan’s wish extra special: American Legion Post 65, BankTrust, Linden Baptist Church, Linden United Methodist Church, Naheola Credit Union, Woodmen of the World Lodge 1936, YD Home Medical Equipment and Supplies, Your Source Communications Inc., Marilyn Kemop, the Royal Plaza Hotel, Chili’s, CiCi’s Pizza, Bob Evans, Pirates Dinner Adventure, Compassion Partners and Wonderworks.

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. If you know a child between the ages of 3 and 18 who may be in need of its wish granting services, call (727) 937-3600 or toll free 1-888-918-9004. For more information on Kids Wish Network, visit its Web site at www.kidswishnetwork.org