Chickasaw family selected for Make-A-Wish trip
A courageous Chickasaw girl who underwent a life-saving organ transplant as a tot had the opportunity to spend a few days with her family at the happiest place on earth, thanks to the Make-A-Wish program.
Elaina Reynolds, 4, of Tishomingo, Oklahoma, and her family were the recipients of the Make-A-Wish program, a national organization that strives to create life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses.
Elaina, the daughter of Cody and Kellie Reynolds, selected Disney World and other Orlando, Florida, area attractions for her wish.
She was referred to the Make-A-Wish program by her doctor at OU Medical Center, said Cody Reynolds.
Elaina was born Aug. 28, 2019, about two months premature and weighed only 3 pounds. When she was two weeks old Elaina was diagnosed with biliary atresia, a disease that damages the liver.
In the fall of 2021, Elaina had a liver transplant at Children’s Hospital in Houston. Until this life-saving procedure, her life was filled with surgeries, pokes, prods, tubes, hospital stays and doctor visits.
Elaina is now a healthy, thriving preschool student who has periodic medical checkups in Oklahoma City and Houston to monitor her health.
The Reynolds family learned Elaina had been approved for her wish May 2023 and met with Make-A-Wish volunteers to plan the trip.
“We were kind of caught off guard. You don't really think of transplant kids getting a wish,” Reynolds said.
The first choice, Hawaii, was ruled out due to recent wildfires on the island so the volunteer asked if there was a plan B.
“We were like, well, we'll just do Disney, not really knowing what to expect and how incredible they are to the wish families who go there,” he said.
Elaina, her parents, brother Ian and sisters Kambree and Collins, departed Tishomingo for Tulsa June 2, 2024, and flew out the next morning on a quick flight to Orlando.
“Once we got to Orlando, a volunteer from Give Kids the World, which is the village where we were staying, met us at the baggage claim to help us with our luggage,” said Reynolds. “But we didn't really need any help, because we each just had a carry on.”
Heeding the advice of wish families, the Reynolds packed light to save room to bring souvenirs home.
Arriving at the Give Kids the World Village, an 89-acre nonprofit “storybook” resort in Kissimmee, Florida, that provides critically ill children and their families with weeklong wish vacations at no cost, the family was met by another volunteer. She shared an orientation to the area, tips to make the most of the trip and tickets to the theme parks.
“The Give Kids the World Village could be its own wish,” said Reynolds.
Part of the village’s tradition is asking the children to decorate a star, which is what Elaina did soon upon arrival.
“Every child gets to personalize a star, and then they're helped by a fairy that's named Stellar,” said Reynolds.
The star is affixed on the ceiling of the Castle of Miracles along with thousands of others, and the family is invited back to see it on display.
“You walk in and look up, and all around the building there are just thousands and thousands of stars. That's really emotional to families, because every wish child that has stayed at the village makes a star.”
Yes Trip
The Make-A-Wish trip was dubbed a “yes trip” meaning when their child asks for something the parents do not say no.
Ice cream for breakfast? No problem. Bringing home a suitcase full of souvenirs? You bet.
“Fortunately we were able to make that a yes trip because of the money that Make-A-Wish provided for us to go on the trip,” said Reynolds. “And we didn't have to worry about doctor visits or the next lab appointment.”
The family visited SeaWorld, Magic Kingdom, Universal Studios, Epcot and Hollywood Studios.
A few of the parks provided the wish family with a ‘golden ticket’ which allowed an express pass for the rides.
“I think the longest we had to wait was 15 minutes in any of the lines,” said Reynolds.
One day during their weeklong trip, the family did a shopping and spa day.
“Because our legs hurt so bad from walking,” he said. “We put on a lot of miles.”
They logged about 7 miles a day.
Each day at the village, all the children woke up to find a gift waiting for them, so each of the couple’s four children felt special.
At Universal Studios, daughter Collins, 9, was chosen from the crowd to be part of a show at Harry Potter’s Adventure. “It was neat for her, because it made the trip special for her,” Reynolds said.
Elaina’s favorite part of the trip? Meeting Anna and Elsa from Disney’s “Frozen.”
Her parents’ favorite part? Spending time in a special place with their children.
“We're just grateful that she had this opportunity to go, because I'm pretty sure there is no way we would have been able to afford to go and provide the special treatment that she received. She was treated like royalty,” Kellie Reynolds said.
“She deserves every bit of that.”
Elaina graduated from Chickasaw Nation Tishomingo Head Start this spring and will start kindergarten in August.
Her parents remain active in transplant patient advocacy.