Family of child with illness surprised with trip to Disney World
ZIONSVILLE, Ind. (WISH) — Seven-year-old Charley Chisolm has been battling a rare genetic disorder all of her life.
Her mom, Meagan Chisolm, promised Charley that if she hung on, they would go to Disney World.
“Last December, Charley had a very major surgery. She was in the hospital for almost a month, and there were many times during that stay where we didn’t know if she would be coming home,” Meagan said.
Charley was diagnosed with a condition called 22q Deletion Syndrome, which causes birth defects and developmental problems in children.
Meagan said of her daughter, “She has spent almost 200 nights in the hospital up to this point in her life and probably well over 30 surgeries she’s had. So many times in the hospital, she is my brave girl. She never complains when we have to go back.”
Frank Squeo heard about the Chisolm family’s plight after reading about the Light for Levi Foundation established after Meagan’s toddler son suffered serious injuries in a near drowning in November 2020.
Squeo said he wanted to help. “A good friend of mine saw their website and said, ‘Frank, we have to help this family. They have two children that are really going through tough times.’”
Squeo founded Baking Memories 4 Kids, a nonprofit that through 100% of its bake sales is paying for the Chisolm’s family’s trip to Disney.
On Tuesday, Squeo surprised the Chisolm family with the trip at their Zionsville home.
A cancer survivor himself, Squeo has helped nearly 300 families since starting his organization a decade ago. “Sometimes the worst news or day of your life ends up being why you were born, and my destiny was to help other people going through what I went through.”
Meagan says the trip to Disney is more than just a vacation; it’s about taking a break from hospital visits.
“I think just the chance just to feel like a family without therapies and appointments and doctor’s visits, we’ll just pray for health for all the kids that week,” she said.
Squeo said anyone around the country can purchase cookies from Baking Memories 4 Kids to help fund future trips for children in need.