This is guest blog post from Stacy Johnson, mother of Ayden, a Kidd’s Kids family who experienced the trip of a lifetime to Disney World in 2012. Southwest is the official airline of Kidd’s Kids, providing travel for chronically ill and/or physically challenged children to an all-expense paid vacation to Walt Disney World in Florida. As a mother of three, we are always looking for ways to entertain our children. My seven-year old son, Ayden, was born with a congenital heart defect called Truncus Arteriosus. After five open heart surgeries, he now lives with half of his heart function, while the other half has been rerouted through his head. Although Aiden battles this condition every day, he is a happy, carefree seven-year old who wants to enjoy a normal life. In 2
012, Ayden was a recipient of the Kidd’s Kids trip to Disney World, which provides an all-expense paid unforgettable adventure. It was the trip of a lifetime for our entire family! This past week our family received another gift from Kidd’s Kids and Southwest Airlines—tickets to the Ben Folds concert at the AT&T Performance Arts Center Strauss Square, which Southwest sponsors.
Our family absolutely loved listening to Ben Folds, and the orchestra performing with him made the concert experience even more powerful. After the concert, we went to the AT&T Center’s balcony with the Dallas skyline as a beautiful backdrop. It was breathtaking.
At the end of the night, we went to the meet-and-greet where our daughter, Makayla, wasted no time running up to Ben and getting his autograph. Ayden got his picture with Ben, who bent all the way down to be at Ayden's level to snap a few pictures. By the end of the night, both kiddos were running purely on adrenaline, making everyone chase them around the Center. It was a great experience.
Thank you, again, Southwest Airlines and the AT&T Performance Art Center, Ben Folds, and Kidd’s Kids. The Johnson Family loved every minute of the concert!