David's desire to be a football player

David Andrew Rider was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia on November 5, 2004. This type of Childhood Leukemia has an 80% chance of survival. He loves football and says when he grows up, he's going to play for the Detroit Lions.
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Journal

Saturday, May 27, 2006 6:44 AM CDT

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

This morning we got a later start and decided to take the day much slower. We went to breakfast and then David and Robert had to ride the carousel. Next we went to Clayton’s Saddle Club, where Robert and David got to ride horses. They each got a cowboy hat. It was very hot, but they had a lot of fun. Next it was off to Sea World.

We had never been to Sea World and when we pulled in the parking lot we thought that it was great that we could park so close to the park. Today was going to be better than our parking lot experience at Universal. We made our way into the park and had our picture taken. We got our map and proceeded to find Shamu and the dolphins. They were at opposite ends of the park, so we went in the direction of Shamu. We saw two shows that did not have anything to do with fish or sea life, but that was ok because the arenas were air-conditioned. After the last show, we saw some of the Budweiser Clydesdale Horses. They are really beautiful horses. Once we walked through the barn, we were in an eating area, which gave away free beer samples. Dave enjoyed a sample. I did not like the beer, but I had a sample of some other drink.

Next we thought we better try to see Shamu, because we did not have much time left at the park. Dave and I needed to get back to GKTW by 5:45 p.m. for Parents Night Out. Well, Robert and David were hungry, so we stopped at an eatery right across from Shamu Stadium. While the kids were still eating the park attendants started to close the chains to the stadium, so we ran to get in to see the show. We were at the top of the stadium, which was great, because the kids were not in the mood to get splashed. The whales can splash people half way up the stadium. The show was great. The largest whale was amazing. The show was the best part of the day. If we had had a schedule of shows before we got there we could have seen more sea life.

At the front gate we got the picture that was taken as we walked in the park. It was a nice picture. When we got to the parking lot we had a big problem. We could not find the car. We walked around the area we thought we parked for 15 minutes. It was very, very hot. The kids were getting over-heated, so they sat next in a parking slot next to a parked car in the shade. Dave went to look for the car. He found it 20 minutes before we had to be back at GKTW. The really funny thing about not finding our car is that every family that came out after us could not find their cars either. There were about five families who were wandering around the hot parking lot with no attendents for help.

We made it back to GKTW just in time to drop Robert and David off at the Castle of Miracles and receive the information about dinner. The adults in each family are given a night out at different restaurants around the Orlando area. The only restriction is you have to pick up your children by 9:00 p.m. The kids stay at the Castle of Miracles and have a pizza party. Dave and I were given dinner at the White Horse Sports Bar and Grille at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Hotel. It was a wonderful dinner, very relaxing. We got to talk about David going to kindergarten, what will happen when he finishes his treatments, our financial state, Robert going into 2nd grade, etc. It was really nice. Dave was disappointed that we were not paired with another couple. I think they send us out separately to give us a chance to reconnect and give us time away from dealing with the struggles of cancer.

We made it back in time to pick up the kids. They had a wonderful time. Someone had drawn a big picture of Shrek and given it to Robert. The kids did not want to leave, but Daddy promised them ice cream and pop, so off to the Ice Cream Palace he and Robert went while David and I went back to the condo.

We ended another excting day on our Wish Trip thanking God.

Hospital Information:

David is at home, being a kid in
Shelby Twp., MI 48316
Call! David would love to hear from you!
(248) 608-3935

Links:

E-mail Author: deltaomicron802@yahoo.com

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