Superman Sammy is a fighter
I have heard from numerous families with prenatal rare disease diagnoses who felt as though they were being pressured into strongly considering abortion. This space is NOT to argue pro-life or pro-choice. What is important is to recognize the importance of this family’s decision and that they were encouraged to seek out multiple opinions. As you will see in this sneek peek, when Sammy’s parents first received the diagnosis at their anatomy scan, doctors were concerned that Sammy might not even make it to term and were not familiar with treatments available for his rare genetic heart defect. After an excruciating few days of waiting to see a specialist at Cincinatti Children’s, they learned that many kids with this condition were able to thrive with a series of surgeries. In the full documentary the family will share more about the journey that led to an unexpected heart transplant. Sammy continues to show that he is resilient and lives childhood to the fullest. Unless you saw the scar on his chest, you probably wouldn’t have any idea what he has been through just by looking at him.
Illness affects the whole family
From a young age I learned that a life-changing diagnosis affects the whole family. At the age of twelve my mom was diagnosed with MS and it forever changed my life. Because of this, it was important to me that I include Sammy’s sister Sophia as much as possible. She was a little more shy about talking in front of the camera but you’ll see that as much as possible I captured how she was part of every moment. These are her memories, challenges, and triumphs too. I want her to remember that she’s not going through this alone either. So when you come across a family who is dealing with a difficult diagnosis please remember to support the whole family, not just the person who is affected.
Give Kids The World Village
Did you know that historically one out of every two wishes granted for kids with critical illness is for Disney a wish?* Most of the families who visit Disney World in Florida stay at a magical resort called Give Kids The World Village. With the help of partnering wish-granting organizations like A Special Wish of Southwest Ohio, Give Kids The World Village has welcomed more than 188,000 families from all 50 states and 77 countries.** In Sammy’s sneek peek, you’ll see a room full of stars on the ceilings and walls. Every wish kid who goes there gets to decorate their own star and overnight a magic fairy named Stellar puts their star up in spot that is catalogued so the family can find it when the return for an alumni trip.
If you haven’t experienced kids the world for yourself you might not fully comprehend the magic of these trips, but we hope this gives you a little window into how important wish granting is for families like Sammy’s.
*https://wish.org/disney#:~:text=Since%201980%2C%20Disney%20and%20Make,has%20been%20a%20Disney%20wish.
**https://www.gktw.org/about/
