A Dose of Disneyland : Ill Children Get Their Wish in Trip to Magic Kingdom

ANAHEIM —  Six-year-old Ryan Buehler of British Columbia could barely sleep the night before his trip to Disneyland.

While on the plane to Orange County, Ryan studied the map of the Magic Kingdom, plotting how he would spend every minute of his seven hours at the amusement park. Toon Town, Splash Mountain and Space Mountain were high on his list. He didn’t want to miss a thing.

Like the other 75 children on the trip, Ryan, who has lymphatic cancer, was a guest of the Sunshine Foundation of Canada, a private organization that grants wishes to children who have serious illnesses. The children, who range in age from 5 to 17, boarded a plane Wednesday morning in Kelowna, Canada, destined for John Wayne Airport.

When the children--all of whom have either life-threatening illnesses or severe physical disabilities--landed after their nearly three-hour flight, they were greeted by banners welcoming them to California, with a band, a clown and about 80 Orange County Sheriff’s Department volunteers waving wildly.

Each child was quickly matched up with a Sheriff’s Department volunteer, placed on one of seven buses and carted off to Disneyland.

“First stop, Cartoon Spin,” said Ryan, who, like the rest of the children, was wearing a yellow T-shirt and matching baseball cap with an orange and black tiger tail attached. “But I want to see everything.”

The children were selected for the annual day trip by the Sunshine Foundation based on their health status. A medical staff from Canada and members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police also traveled with the group.

George Lensen, a spokesman for the foundation, said the $70,000 price tag for the trip was paid by Esso Retailers of Okanangan Valley, Canada, through a telethon and other fund-raising events. Lensen said a different group of children takes the trip each year.

Once at Disneyland, the children quickly huddled around the different Disney characters who were stationed at the front of the park. Goofy, Pluto and, of course, Mickey Mouse were there to hug the children, pose for pictures and sign autographs.

After a hug from Mickey, Ryan told his small group of Sheriff’s Department buddies, “Now let’s go on the rides.”

Christine Allemand, a volunteer who helped her husband escort Ryan and another child, Ryan Gorr, on a slew of rides, said she couldn’t think of a better way to spend a day.

“It might be the last thing some of these kids do,” she said. “And I want to be a part of it. It must be such a rush for them.”

After squeaking past the crowds on Main Street, most headed straight for Toon Town, where the children could see the homes of Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Goofy and Chip and Dale. But others headed straight for the roller coaster ride.

Megan Atkinson-Smith, a 10-year-old who is blind and diabetic, had plans to ride every roller coaster ride in the amusement park. Within the first hour of her visit, she rode both Space Mountain and the Matterhorn Bobsled. And once off the Matterhorn, Megan wanted to go again.

Her medical assistant, Jo Ann Dueck, said those rides were just the beginning of their day.

“She’s fine,” Dueck said. “I’m the one who’s getting sick.”

But the fun wasn’t only for the kids.

Assistant Sheriff Dennis W. LaDucer said his office has been working with the foundation for the past three years, and each year he has an overflow of volunteers.

“Within a week of posting the notice (for volunteers), we had more than enough,” LaDucer said. “And it’s a great for the deputies because it shows them the other side of life . . . a good side. And these kids are like any other kids, just braver.”