Dream Gallery

Princess Londyn

Londyn is a charismatic 5 year old girl diagnosed with Infantile Idiopathic Scoliosis who’s dream was to have Lunch with Cinderella.  The Dream Factory sent Londyn and her family to Disney’s Give Kids the World. Before departure to Florida, Londyn and her sister were surprised with Cinderella dresses for their special meeting with a real Princess. Londyn and her family enjoyed their week staying at Give Kids The World,  and also visited Universal Studios.  Londyn even had the opportunity to go horse back riding! Finally, at Walt Disney World her dream came true when she had a magical lunch with Cinderella at the castle.

Special thanks to Dream Manager Ashley Fisher, Fairytale Ballet in Prairie Village, Walt Disney World, and Universal Studios.

Dream Racer

Toby’s dream was to experience a Nascar race and meet one of his favorite Nascar drivers. Toby’s dream came full circle when he was able to go behind the scenes of Nascar.  Toby was wisked away with special creditials to hang out in the Pit area with the Nascar crews.   He was able to see the cars up close in the garage and see how they get these high perfomace vehicles ready for the race.  Toby could not imagine how much better his day could get until he was able to meet his favorite driver in Nascar…….Tony Stewart!

This was a very memorable day for Toby, who was diagnosed with a genetic disorder called Prada Willi desease, and one that he will never forget.  The Dream Factory would like to extend a special thanks to Kansas Speedway, Nascar, and Tony Stewart.

Princess for a Week

What little girl doesn’t dream of becoming a princess? For Alexa, it was a dream come true when she and her family stepped off the airplane in Orlando and stepped into the fairy tale that is Give Kids the World. Spending a week in the fantastic world of Disney was filled with princes and princesses, colorful characters and larger than life places.

This wonderful trip for five year-old Alexa, who has Gaucher’s Disease Type 3, was made possible through the Dream Factory’s  partnership with American Airlines’ Something mAAgic Foundation. The foundation’s annual mAAgic Flight event provides a roundtrip for a Dream child and their family to Orlando and the GKTW village. The Dream Factory would like to thank American Airlines for making sure Alexa had a getaway she’ll  never forget!

He’s a Mac

Most teenagers enjoy a good science fiction flick now and then, but how many do you know that have a screenplay of their own all plotted out for Hollywood? Especially one set in post-apocalyptic times that works in a storyline where the main character struggles with a chronic disease. Then you haven’t met 15 year-old Weston, whose own challenge with kidney disease and dialysis inspires him to create fantastic stories that he hopes will one day make it to hardback or the big screen.

Being a creative writer, Weston could think of only one thing for his dream … a new Macbook Pro computer. The Dream Factory was pleased to grant Weston his dream and would like to thank Best Buy and its associates for all their assistance. We can’t wait to read Weston’s first best-seller!

Puppy Love

May 4th, 2011 will be forever known as the “best day ever” according to nine year-old Renee. This animal-loving dream child wanted nothing more than to volunteer at a no-kill animal shelter—what a wonderful and caring dream! Dream Manager Myra Stewart worked diligently to make that dream come true, lining up an exciting and very educational day for Renee with local veterinarian Dr. Chris Morrow, DVM at Maple Woods Community College.

Renee was diagnosed with Legg-Calve Perthes Disease, a rare childhood condition that affects the hip/leg joint, but she never let it slow down her big dreams. Renee, who wants to be a vet herself when she grows up, spent the day shadowing Dr. Morrow around the animal hospital. He gave her the grand tour of all the high tech areas where the Maple Woods staff treat animals of all sizes. Along the way, Renee met dogs, cats and horses. One of the highlights of Renee’s day was a literal dogpile … when six lively puppies smothered her with wet noses and lots of love.

The day ended with a great dinner at Corner Café in Independence where Renee enjoyed dessert first (why not?) and breakfast for dinner. Talk about a sweet finish to a dream day!

But Renee’s dream doesn’t end there. A few days later, she visited the KMBC TV-9 studios to film a pet adoption segment with reporter Donna Pitman. Just one more example of this amazing nine year-old’s love of animals and devotion to their care. We have a feeling Renee will make one terrific veterinarian!

Thanks go out to all those who made Renee’s big dream come true including Executive Express Limousine, Maple Woods Community College, Chris Morrow, DVM of Ark Animal Hospital of Liberty, Corner Cafe and dream manager Myra Stewart.

Up, Up and Away

When you ask Amelia what were some of her favorite things about her trip to Orlando, she has a really hard time answering. Because as she says, “It’s just so hard to pick because everything was so fun!”  But from mom’s perspective, here are some highlights:

• Riding rides at the theme parks including favorites Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Soarin’, Toy Story Mania and Peter Pan
• Eating ice cream at Give Kids the World (Cookies & Cream was her favorite.)
• Meeting the Disney Characters
• Playing putt-putt
• Feeding the dolphins at Sea World

But for Amelia, who has a rare condition known as Diamond Blackfan Anemia, hands down the hot air balloon ride had to be the most special moment. According to Amelia’s mom, “It was so peaceful and relaxing … seeing Amelia smile as we began floating up was just amazing. I’d say Tuesday of our trip was the best day ever. We did the hot air balloon ride in the morning, went to Disney Hollywood Studios, went back to our villa in the afternoon for a nap, had ice cream for dinner and then went back to Magic Kingdom to do more rides. We even stayed late to watch the fireworks and electrical parade. It was such a long day but everyone had so much fun and their eyes lit up as they watched the parade go past. We went to sleep that night with huge smiles on our faces knowing our kids just had the most amazing day of their lives!”

Amelia and her family, along with the Dream Factory, would like to thank Thompson Aire and owner Jeff Thompson for the amazing hot air balloon ride, dream manager Brett McCracken and director of dreams Jean Sherraden for making this one trip they’ll never forget.

Dreaming of … Slime??

This is the story of not one but two Dream kids with one very wild dream in common—slime. Sounds more like a nightmare to grown-ups, but Sheamoura and Kaleb have watched the well-known Nickelodeon channel for years and couldn’t wait to have their turns under that infamous big bucket o’ green slime!

As timing would have it, Sheamoura and Kaleb’s dreams took place in tandem—with both of them and their families taking a fun-filled Nickelodeon cruise from New York City to the Bahamas’ sensational Atlantis Resort before arriving at their final destination of Disney World in Orlando.

Aside from the slime, ten year-old Sheamoura had her heart set on meeting the star of Nickelodeon’s iCarly show. Sheamoura has Hodgkins Lymphoma and this fantastic trip helped her forget her struggles for a short time. Her favorite part of the trip was meeting Sam from iCarly. She said she had the best 10th birthday that she will never forget!

Seven year-old Kaleb, who has cerebral palsy, had his sights set on meeting another famous Nickelodeon pair—SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick—and he did just that during his fun-filled cruise. Kaleb said he felt right at home at the Bahamas’ Atlantis and said he and his family received a bundle of special memories!

Sheamoura and Kaleb’s parents and the Dream Factory would like to extend special thanks to Supershuttle in NYC, and The Parking Spot Kanas City. Special thanks also to Jean Sherraden, Debbie Cox and Dream Manager Brett McCracken for making this a once-in-a-lifetime experience for both children and their families.

Royal Treatment

What an awesome night for baseball … we had a blast with six year-old Gabe and his family at the K on May 4! Gabe met a lot of Royals players and coaches and even KC legend Frank White.

Gabe’s VIP night at The K was part of the Kansas City Royals’ Dream Factory Program, which gives our lucky dream kids the opportunity to attend a home game where they get to spend quality time in the dugout during pre-game batting practice, meet players and coaches, make an appearance on the big screen in centerfield and enjoy the game from some great seats!

Drew’s High Flying Dream

What boy (or grown man for that matter) wouldn’t jump at the chance to take a ride in the mysterious Stealth B-2 Bomber? Well, unfortunately for them, military security won’t allow civilians onboard, but 17 year-old Drew experienced the next best thing over the weekend of March 18 & 19, at Whiteman Air Force Base.

Drew was referred to the Dream Factory of Greater Kansas City and dream manager Elaine Apel knew she wanted to be part of making this dream come true. Drew had a kidney transplant when he was three years old and roughly a year later, his body started rejecting it.  He’s been fighting rejection ever since. But Jennifer Greene (PR director at WAFB) and Lt. Col. Tony Monetti both made sure this resilient young man had two unbelievable days out at Whiteman.

The family lives seven hours away by car.  So, Lt. Col. Monetti arranged for a former Air Force pilot who is also a CFI (Certified Flight Instructor) to pick up Drew and his parents from Garden City, KS and fly them to Knob Noster where they had clearance to actually land at Whiteman AFB.  Drew received a red carpet welcome with a number of pilots awaiting his arrival as they stood in front of their aircraft—Apache helicopter, A-10 Thunderbolt, B-2 Stealth, etc.  Drew had the opportunity to interact with the pilots throughout his visit to Whiteman. One of the biggest dream highlights for Drew was flying the B-2 bomber simulator.

The Dream Factory would like to extend a big thank you Lt. Col. Tony Monetti, Jennifer Greene and all the staff and service men and women from Whiteman Air Force Base who took part in Drew’s outstanding dream. Thanks also to the city of Warrensburg and local businesses for extending lodging, dining and travel to Drew and his family throughout the weekend.

Princess Izzi

When we asked Izzi what her dream was, she had her answer right away—to meet the Disney Princesses and visit them in their own house! That’s Disney World to the rest of us.  Izzi has Type 1 diabetes but it doesn’t stop her from being a bubbly and energetic four year old. Izzi and her family took a dream trip to Orlando, Florida to Give Kids the World Village, where they were treated like royalty. Izzi loved Disney World and getting to meet all her favorite characters. But the highlight was the Royal Princess Breakfast where Izzi was turned into a little Cinderella and delighted at the chance to get up close and personal with all the Princesses. According to mom and dad, she loved every minute of it and couldn’t stop smiling.

Izzi’s parents and the Dream Factory would like to thank volunteers Deb Caldwell and Maria Hedrick, as well as Dan Hanna and the Greater KC Two Cylinder Club who nominated Izzi for this once in a lifetime dream.

These words of thanks from Izzi’s parents sum it up: “That trip was a week of life-long memories and smiles on Izzi’s face that we will never forget…. THANK YOU !