A Mouse Is Big on Wish List of Ill 5-Year-Old

Five-year-old George Jennings of Oxnard is going to Disney World this week. And in case he runs into Mickey Mouse, he has an appropriate question prepared:

“I want to ask him for a piece of cheese,” he said.

Meeting the Disney character will fulfill a dream for the ailing little boy, who was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a cancer of the nervous system tissue, a year and a half ago.

George is one of three Ventura County children with life-threatening illnesses who will take “wish trips” this month, provided by the Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Tri-Counties.

Seventeen-year-old Kathy Hernandez of Camarillo and 13-year-old Jene Castelan of Santa Paula will go on their trips later this month. Both girls have cancerous tumors.

The children and their families will fly to Florida, where they will visit the Magic Kingdom, Epcot Center and MGM Studios, in addition to the local attractions of their choice.

They will stay at “Give Kids the World Village,” a 35-acre vacation resort for seriously ill children. The facility includes a gingerbread house restaurant, a magical castle, an ice cream parlor caboose, swimming pool, fishing pond and nature trail.

For George--who has never traveled outside Ventura County except for his visits to Childrens Hospital in Los Angeles--the trip will be filled with new experiences.

He said he especially looks forward to playing with his family in the hotel swimming pool. His two stepbrothers, baby sister, mother and stepfather will accompany him on the five-day excursion.

Though she dreads walking around the amusement park during a humid Orlando summer, George’s mother, Vonetta Blount, said she looks forward to the trip for her kids.

“Georgie deserves it,” she said. “He’s been through a lot.”

Blount said she began to suspect that something was wrong with George when the typically active and outgoing toddler lost interest in playing with his siblings almost two years ago.

After visits with several doctors, the cancer diagnosis was made. George spent six months in the hospital before showing noticeable improvement. Now, she said, he is the healthiest he has been.

“There was a time when we didn’t think he was going to make it,” she said.

“But I think the rehabilitation of a child sometimes depends on how strong the child is. I’m a mean and stubborn and strong-willed person, and I believe my son is too.”

George undergoes monthly experimental treatments at Childrens Hospital. Between visits, a network of tubes remains connected to his body, taped and wrapped so they do not come undone.

But as he raced around the living room with his 6-year-old brother, Jose, his mother noted that George’s illness rarely prevents him from having fun being a kid.

“There is no cure for what Georgie has,” Blount said. “But he is doing better.”

The Make-A-Wish Foundation is funded primarily through donations. Cash, in-kind gifts, cars and airline frequent-flyer miles are appreciated, and volunteers willing to donate time are always needed.

Donations can be mailed to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Tri-Counties, 4141 State St., Suite C-3, Santa Barbara, CA 93110. For more information, call (888) 899-9474.