MAKE-A-WISH GIVES TRIP TO DISNEY WORLD

For Brad LePage, the last week of summer vacation was spent watching his best friend get "slimed" and riding roller coasters until his parents were ready to drop in short, a kid's dream vacation.

But it was even more special because most of the attractions at Florida's Disney World where Brad and his family vacationed are handicapped accessible, making it easier for him to get around in his wheelchair.

The trip was a gift to Brad through the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Southeast Missouri. Cathy Wills with Make-A-Wish said the organization has granted 26 wishes to kids with various diseases over the past two years in Southeast Missouri.

Brad has muscular dystrophy, but he said that didn't stop him from doing everything there was to do at Disney World. His parents, Dr. Robert and Linda Sacha, and his best friend, Paul Murray of O'Fallon, Ill., went with Brad on the trip.

"The most fun was when we went to Universal Studios," he said. "Paul got slimed."

Brad, a student at Schultz Junior High School, said he had to choose between the trip to Disney World and meeting one of his favorite movie stars, Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The trip to Florida lasted five days, while a visit with Schwarzenegger would have lasted an hour, tops, he said. The choice was relatively easy, Brad said.

"I hope someday I'll still get to meet Arnold, or maybe Michael Jordan," said Brad, who loves basketball and football.

Brad, 12, is a former poster child for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. The annual MDA telethon is set for Sunday and Monday, and local broadcasts will originate from West Park Mall in Cape Girardeau.

The broadcast starts at 10:30 p.m. Sunday and concludes at 6 p.m. Monday. Last year the telethon raised just more than $233,495 locally and $45 million nationally. It funds research to determine the causes of neuromuscular diseases and patient care.

Brad and his family still volunteer to help at telethons, staffing telephones or helping with paperwork, his mother said.

Brad said he visited Disney's Epcot Center and the Magic Kingdom as well as Universal and MGM Studios during his trip to Florida.

His mother said every day was jam-packed with activities.

"The Make-A-Wish Foundation really plans your itineraries and makes sure everything runs smoothly," she said. "It was really enjoyable." The family returned from the trip Aug. 23.

Linda Sacha said vacations are usually hard to plan because of the extra considerations that go along with traveling in a wheelchair.

"It's gotten a lot better, but there are still a lot of places that we can't go," she said. Laws supporting handicapped accessibility have meant Brad has en elevator at his school and ramps at most restaurants and other public places.

But costs are the main consideration when businesses are faced with installing ramps, wider doors and other features that enhance accessibility for handicapped people.

In many instances, a business will have handicapped parking spaces, but no other features, Sacha said.

"I think it's a big consideration, especially for small businesses," she said. "For that reason I think change is going to be slower than expected."

Brad ran into a problem when he wanted to ride the double-decker bus at the Epcot Center. They weren't handicapped accessible, but most other features at the park were, he said.

Brad said some of the rides were harder than others to board.

"Some were hard, and others were easy," he said, "but I went on all the ones that were hard."

"It didn't seem to stop him," his mother said.

Brad said he never lets his handicap keep him from doing the things he wants to do. When he grows up he wants to be a doctor, he said.

"And I want to go to Europe," he said.