Foundation Helps Girl Make Trip To Disney World
BY MICHAEL ERB, The Island Packet
Published Saturday, November 2nd, 2002

photo: Jonathan Dyer/The Island Packet
        Haley Hockemeyer, right, and her friend Nikki Winans check out some of the gifts Haley received Friday morning. Haley was granted a wish by the Make-A-Wish Foundation of South Carolina and is headed for Disney World.


        Haley Hockemeyer knows that some wishes do come true.
 
       "I asked Haley, 'Where would you like to go ... if you could go anywhere you wanted to, where would that be?' " said Gar Underwood, assistant principal of Hilton Head Elementary School's Island Academy. "She thought about it a while ... and the next day she came to me ... and decided it would be Disney World. So I told her I would make it happen."
 
       On Friday, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of South Carolina presented Haley with a five-day, all-expense-paid trip to Disney World in Florida for the 11-year-old and a friend.

        Haley was diagnosed several years ago with a rare blood disease called Niemann-Pick Type C, which affects 300 to 400 people worldwide. The disease often is difficult to detect because it mimics neurological disorders.

        Haley's mom, Ruth Ann, said she has been thrilled by the support of the school and community to provide this opportunity for her daughter. The staff of The Crazy Crab, where Ruth works, took up a collection of for the mother and daughter, and the restaurant's owner has offered to donate .

        "Everybody has been so great ... we're a little overwhelmed," Ruth said. "Haley is really excited about the trip. She is really looking forward to it."

        Local Make-A-Wish volunteer Marcie Zanzig announced the trip to Haley's classmates Friday, who held a classroom party to celebrate.

        "It is a wonderful program, and there has been such support from the community," Zanzig said.

        Haley also received several Disney-themed toys donated by Wal-Mart on Hilton Head. Party Land on Hilton Head donated balloons for Friday's classroom party, and Food Lion of Bluffton donated cupcakes for Haley and her classmates.

        Haley and her friend Nikki Winans, a fifth-grader at the elementary school, along with Ruth and Nikki's mother, Sandy, will spend five days at the Give Kids the World Hotel in Florida beginning Wednesday. The four will have unlimited access to all of Disney World's theme parks, have transportation provided, eat breakfast and lunch with Disney characters and even have an opportunity to swim with dolphins in a controlled environment.

        When asked which character she most wanted to see, Haley said, "Mickey."

        Despite the physical challenges presented by the disease, Haley has participated in a regular classroom setting for several years, which teachers say has helped her to develop friendships and motivated her academically.

        "When we brought her into the classroom, you could just see her come alive," said Island Academy Principal Gretchen Keefner. "She has worked so hard ... and she has helped all of the students to grow so much."

        Underwood said Haley's influence can be seen in all of her classmates.

        "She has taught us something valuable ... how to love," he said.


        Contact Michael Erb at 706-8141 or merb@islandpacket.com.
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        To help contact the Make-A-Wish Foundation of South Carolina or to make a donation, call (800) 293-WISH, (800) 293-9474. Write to: Make-A-Wish; 701 East Bay St., PCC 1115, Charleston, SC 29403.

        For more information on Niemann-Pick Disease, or to make a donation to the National Niemann-Pick Disease Foundation, visit www.nnpdf.org.