As in a Disney story, the 4-year-old cancer survivor eventually gets a dream vacation
McKenna May, an Ohio girl who has spent most of her life battling cancer, gets her dream vacation.
After her father refused to sign a consent form last month, family members raised money to pay for the trip.
“It’s really exciting,” said McKenna’s mother, Whitney Hughes Fox News Orlando. “It’s also something of a shocking factor.”
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Disney Princess: 4-year-old McKenna May will get her dream vacation after family and friends raise money
McKenna was diagnosed with leukemia in 2010.
Last month, William May, the girl’s father, opposed a trip to Disney. He said the holiday should go to children who are extreme.
“I’m not saying she hasn’t been through much,” he told Fox. “But maybe he should get a swing or something.”
Fighting the disease: McKenna’s father May has refused to sign a “Make a wish” consent form that will send his girlfriend to Disney World after battling leukemia
The Make-a-Wish Foundation initially donated $ 3,500 (£ 2,235) to the girl, who lives in Haskins, Ohio, to fund the holiday.
The policy of the Make-a-Wish Foundation is to require two parental signatures to prevent family problems or custody battles.
Mark Higel, the foundation’s national communications director, told Fox that he had never heard of a case in which a parent refused a vacation because the child was “too healthy.”
To raise the necessary funds, two of McKenna’s nephews sold an escalator. Another boy sold $ 500 worth of candy to pay for the vacation.
The wish is fulfilled: McKenna May will meet Mickey Mouse and eat a lot of ice cream during her visit to Disney
Jamie’s Dream Team, a Pennsylvania-based nonprofit that helps those suffering from disability, serious illness or injury, sponsored McKenna’s trip.
“I believed it would happen,” Hughes said. “But I didn’t think it would happen so quickly.”