MDF Magazine Newsletter Issue 57 December 2018

Hloni’s dream came true visiting
Disneyland in Miami
By Lerato Chiloane
It all started when Lehlohonolo Chiloane was
nominated by an MD social worker as a suitable
candidate to have a wish fulfilled by Reach For A
Dream.
She was interviewed and had three dream
choices: one was to visit Disneyland, which
she chose. Our exciting journey started on 18
September 2018 at OR Tambo airport, where we
met with Melissa and Darren of Reach For A Dream
for some drinks and itinerary explanation. We were
given a lovely send-off. At 20:00 we boarded the
plane heading for Atlanta. Hloni was very excited
as she was doing an international flight for the first
time. The staff of Delta airline were so friendly and
helpful in catering for Hloni’s needs. The whole
experience was just amazing for Hloni, from the
movies on the plane to the food. On the 19th we
arrived in Atlanta and took a connecting flight to
Florida, where we were greeted by the sight of its
many beautiful beach houses.
last park we visited was Sea World, where we saw
all the wonders of the sea.
How we wished to have stayed for longer to enjoy
the place, the people, and the amazing rides. When
people heard we were from South Africa, they
responded very warmly and asked us lots of
questions about the country. We held our SA flag
high with pride.
The most amazing thing was sharing information
about our Muscular Dystrophy Foundation of South
Africa and hearing about the Muscular Dystrophy
Association that is established over there.
It was a truly amazing experience we were
given, and we are grateful to the MDF social
worker Rudzani and to Reach For A Dream for
making Lehlohonolo Chiloane’s dream come true.
We were welcomed by staff from Give Kids the
World Village and taken by a shuttle vehicle to our
destination, about 45 minutes away. The village
is phenomenal, and once there you never want to
leave. After the Disney itinerary was given to us
and all procedures explained, we rested for the
remainder of the day as we were still jet-lagged.
Next morning, we had breakfast and left for the
Disney World Magic Kingdom. The place was so
beautiful. Hloni enjoyed all the rides as most of
them were wheelchair friendly. We stayed until
closing time, stopping only for lunch, and even then
Hloni didn’t want to leave. On the second day of our
adventure we went to Universal Studios where we
saw many Hollywood characters; the most exciting
part was The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. The
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