By: Mika Hartman
If given the opportunity to take away my sons extra chromosome, I would not. If given the opportunity to remove some of his ailments due to his extra chromosome, I absolutely would. To make his life easier and healthier, that’s our daily goal, our “everyday” mission. I keep Hudson in a bubble, outside of therapy and doctors appointments, for the most part. If the bubble is popped, it is to give him the opportunity to enjoy the life we pray for him. I, more often than not, can look at my own Life360 and see that I haven’t left the house in 7 days or more. This is a protection measure that we happily take to keep Hudson away from unnecessary germs, all of our own doing; a simple cold could hospitalize my son. He already has fear of doctors and needles, so we try our best to keep any additional trips to the ER to a minimum. Our ER visits can rapidly move to hospital stays.
So, when we burst the proverbial bubble, it is super-duper fun we seek. Hudson is a thrill junkie that LOVES rollercoasters and rides that spin fast. Life has to be more than therapy and medical appointments. His smile in a theme park is priceless. And I can tell you that the theme parks do an amazing service for Hudson and others who face challenges while in the parks.
What are his challenges in a theme park? Well, our favorite theme parks are hot, crowded and can get wait times that are hours long. Yes, these are hard for anyone; but, a person with a disability, like Hudson, make these challenges impossible to partake in the fun. Not to mention, its expensive to be there, so being best prepared to make it worth it is important; this makes it a full long day. The parks are huge and spread out. The lines are not only long, but many lines are in really dark spaces.
Hudson uses a wheelchair for his safety and for long distance. He can walk, but at 54 pounds, we can’t carry him as far as we used to. Hudson eats by a g-tube and needs special feeding equipment and food; therefore, we don’t travel light. My son is also daily and lactose intolerant, we have to carry milks or pay crazy prices for cups of almond milk inside the parks. And Hudson is six and we are still working on potty training, but still carry a full diaper bag.
My point in sharing all of this is to tell you that going places is harder than staying home. We do it so Hudson can have a life he enjoys and one we can enjoy as a family, together. When we find ourselves seeking disability passes for Hudson, it is for a great reason. When we are in a line for 3 hours to justify why he can’t wait in this lines is ridiculous. The parks do an amazing service for families like mine; to be able to experience a fun like this with our loved ones in a way that helps us and removes stress. When a system is abused to the point that a 3 hour wait to even talk to guest services, it is broken.
I have heard of the reasons people seek a disability pass over many years. What a frustrating thing this is for those who are abusing the system, When everyone is disabled, no one is. If you had to pack and plan for the worst case scenario before entering the park, you’d have a better idea of what families like mine go through to be there. If you could hear Hudson’s heavy breathing of panic in the dark, you’d understand why we seek this. Listen, the program is good and needed. When a door is open to making the experience better, of course some will try to meet the requirements to receive it, That does not make it right. Be thankful you don’t go through the hurdles to be there.
It’s no different than pulling in a parking lot and all the disabled spots are filled with cars. My least favorite ones are the corvettes or the ones where you can actually see them entering or exiting the car and no one appearing to need that spot. Come on. Do better. Be thankful you can walk or that you won’t need to rush to your car for extra medical equipment that is stored in all the cubbies. Or that you don’t have to load and unload a wheelchair. Or that you don’t have to change your six year olds diaper on the back gate because he is terrified of bathroom changing tables and too big anyways.
Things have been designed to make the world more accessible, to give the freedoms to live life to the best of each individuals abilities. If you have to lie or over exaggerate your ailments to get the same pass as Hudson, then shame on you. I am tired of sugarcoating all we go through. Hudson is perfect, but life has challenges. The journey is ours and we should be able to easily provide what Hudson needs to feel included. Services like Universal or Disney offer are to encourage us to be there. It’s not a bonus, it’s a need.
The whole “see something, say something” applies here. I have lost friendships over knowing the truth about the abuses to a good system. It is not okay to pretend you deserve what Hudson is offered. I am the first to understand that not all disabilities are visible; yes, many need the same service Hudson does and this was created for them, too. This is not a blanket assessment, I understand temporary disabilities, also. Yes, this system is good and needed. Just think about Hudson and the lengths we go and the hoops we jump to be there… if you don’t need this service, don’t ask for it. Be happy it is there for those who do. If it goes away, we can’t take Hudson anymore. It is EXTRA obvious why a service like this is exists and it is EXTRA obvious who they meant it for. Period.
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