Father dashes Make-A-Wish dream for daughter
Whitney Hughes and daughter McKenna May (Enoch Wu/Sentinel-Tribune)The mother and grandmother of 4-year-old McKenna May, who survived leukemia, are collecting money to get the little Ohio girl to Disney World after her father nixed a Make-A-Wish trip to the theme park.
McKenna's father, William May of Toledo, said using Make-A-Wish money for a child who is "free and clear" of illness is an improper use of donations made to the organization. "I think it should go to kids who only have six months to live," he told the Sentinel-Tribune of Bowling Green, Ohio.
The charity requires that parents have to sign off for a child to accept a trip.
After going through two years of cancer treatment that included spinal taps, chemotherapy and hospitalizations because of reactions to the treatments, McKenna's mother, Whitney Hughes, and grandmother, Lori Helppie, feel she deserves the trip.
So they've pulled their family's request with Make-A-Wish and are placing collection jars around the community to raise the needed $3,500 to fund the trip on their own.
The important thing is to get her there," Helppie told the newspaper. "She loves Mickey Mouse. She loves Cinderella." "She's really excited," Hughes said. "It's all she's talked about for the last three months."
Helppie and Hughes are outraged at May's refusal and claim McKenna's father is just trying to get back at them over visitation privileges. May was just granted visitation earlier this year, according to the Sentinel-Tribune.
The father, however, blames McKenna's mother and grandmother for keeping him from seeing his daughter. "I wasn't allowed to be involved," May said. "It ticked me off."
Susan McConnell, president and CEO of Make-A-Wish for Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana, said that McKenna clearly qualifies for a wish since she has gone through so much in her two-year struggle to beat leukemia, the newspaper reported.
McConnell said it is unfortunate that the family yanked their request for a wish since the father wouldn't sign off. "She's been through a lot," she said of McKenna. "What I really feel bad about is she is stuck in the middle."
What do you think of this? Who do you agree with?
MAW does not send a child for just one day, they are there for a week and they given tickets to Disney for 3 days, 2 days at Universal Studios and one at Sea World. They are given a limo ride to and from the airport (when returning home), airplane tickets,free lodging during their stay, food, and car rental. All that could easily add up to well over $3500
Quoting teal.blaze:Since when does it cost 3500 to go to disney? Last I checked, tickets were $89. They taking 20 people with them? Anyway, the foundation was still willing to pay for her, she was excited to go, the father shouldn't have taken that away from her. And since her mom has custody, why did her dad have to sign for her anyway?
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If the Make A Wish Foundation thinks it's a legit request, I am definitely not arguing with them!
It's a crummy situation, that unfortunately, the little girl is caught in the middle of. If the mom and grandma really were denying visitation, then unfortunately the only one who is paying is McKenna. If he refused to sign off on the request because he was being spiteful, then again, McKenna is paying for it. I think both sides need to grow up and think of this precious little girl who they are so blessed to still have in their lives!
I don't see what is so awful. He feels that a child that is terminal is more deserving since the whole point of "Make a Wish" was to give terminal children a wish come true before they died.
If the family would rather raise the money on their own and allow the donated money to go to a child that really needs a wish granted before death, that is very honorable imo.
Aw, poor baby. She's only 4!! That is heartbreaking. If it were my daughter, I'd do everything I could to make her wish come true. That's a lot for such a young child to go through. I noticed in the article only the mother and grandmother are raising money for the daughter's trip. Why is the dad not helping to raise money? I'm not liking this guy :/
What should be done here is the dad (although has a valid point) should take the wish. Upon coming back from the trip he should raise funds to help pay back Make a Wish in thank you for his daughter's trip. Simple as that, don't deny a poor 4yo her wish esp if she knows about it. However, now that this story is probably widely known or going to be the family should have no problems raising the money they need.
What an ass hole! That kid has been through hell and the Make A Wish foundation offered her something she really wanted! I get what he was saying, but they don't just deal with children that are dying. They deal with a lot of different kids in different situations, and that wasn't fare to his daughter.
No wonder her mother kept him out of her life. He's a prick!
So Mom and Grandma says.
Quoting acrogodess:
He isn't doing it out of a generous heart. He is doing it to spite the mom and grandmother for "denying him visitation". The little girl is in remission which doesn't mean that the cancer cannot come back more aggressive than before and still kill her.
Quoting sha_lyn68:Make a Wish Foundation and Disney work very hard to make the children comfortable and the trip enjoyable. This father is a wonderful man for letting this trip go to some child that doesn't have much time left. I bet visitation with hiim is fun fun fun because he is a man with a generous heart.
Quoting Venae:Children with 6 months to live can be pretty freaking sick - they wouldn't even be able to enjoy the trip! This guys is a real dick. Sarah824 is right - if Make-A-Wish isn't concerned that she's not in death's grip, then he shouldn't be either. I bet visitation w/him is fun, fun, fun.
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- sarah824
on Jul. 18, 2012 at 3:56 PM