When 7-year-old Emma Louise got into her parents’ car Saturday afternoon, she was expecting to go apple picking with her family.

But when her family pulled up to Santangelo’s Restaurant in Liverpool, N.Y., at about 2:45 p.m., she became confused. Emma was worried that her father, who works at Santangelo’s, was going to be asked to work a shift yet again.

Little did she know, her family and friends — around 20 in total — were waiting to surprise her with the ultimate gift from The Dream Factory of Syracuse, a wish-granting organization for children with terminal and chronic illnesses and disorders: an all-expenses-paid trip to the Walt Disney World Resort.

“I’m going to have dinner with the princesses,” Emma said as she walked into the room, slowly processing the facts.

Her family, which includes her brother Andrew, 4, and her parents, Kelly Badgley and Allan Louise, will go to Disney World from Sept. 21-28. They will receive $1,400 in spending money for the trip. Emma is the chapter’s first Dream Child.

Emma appeared to be shocked, saying very little and showing a small smile as Dream Factory board members, her parents, relatives and family friends congratulated her.

Tracy Pierce, area coordinator, picked up on it fairly quickly, asking: “Emma, I’m afraid we put you into shock. You need some insulin? You’re so quiet.”

Emma was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in March 2011 and hypoglycemic unawareness this past February.

“Our life since being diagnosed has been very different, challenging,” Badgley said. “It’s a roller coaster every day. Just, we have roller coasters of blood sugar, countless, sleepless nights, injections.”

Emma cannot tell when her blood sugar level is low or high, so she has to be monitored regularly. Her activities are limited as a result. If her blood sugar level is too low, she may have a seizure, go into a coma or die.

“She was diagnosed a month shy of her sixth birthday,” Badgley said. “To see kids eat, play, whatever they want, is hard for her.”

The Dream Factory of Syracuse — a volunteer organization — opened about six months ago and serves the Onondaga, Oswego, Madison and Cayuga counties. Children must be between the ages of 3 and 18 and meet the medical requirements.

Two board members speak with the child and the parents in person, respectively, to ensure the dream is the child’s request. The child cannot have received a grant from another wish-granting organization.

“We just want to give them a break from the day-to-day struggle they have dealing with their illness,” Erin Wisneski, public relations chair for The Dream Factory of Syracuse, said. “We want to help brighten their lives with something they enjoy.”

Badgley found out about the trip a couple of months ago and told her husband, as well as their family and friends. Emma knew that the trip was going to happen, but she was unaware of the timing.

Emma’s father was at work when his wife called him with the news. He was hesitant to celebrate.

“I said, ‘Let’s just see until it happens,’ because I don’t trust anything until it happens,” he said. “I’m not going to work myself up ahead of time.”

When Pierce asked Emma if she was shy, she nodded her head.

Allan Louise said that Emma had clammed up a little when they initiated the surprise.

“I was surprised,” Louise said. “I thought we were going to get more of a reaction out of her.”

Wisneski also noticed that Emma seemed shocked, although she noted that Minnie Mouse was a hit with the young girl.

Emma was staring at Minnie Mouse while one of the board members was alerting her that the picture was about to be taken. She hugged Minnie Mouse several times when she had to leave the celebration.

But her silence may have been the product of being in the spotlight — her relatives described an entirely different person.

“She’s shy when she meets you,” Sara Yoder, Emma’s aunt and Badgley’s sister, said. “That doesn’t last long.”

Karen Wright, Emma’s grandmother, agreed.

“She’s a little girl who loves to talk,” Wright said. “She’s very personable and friendly. She loves her dolls.”

Her original wish — a diabetic alert dog — could not be granted because it was beyond the means of The Dream Factory of Syracuse. Emma’s parents currently have $9,000 left to raise for the dog.

The dog, which Emma named Angel — all of her fundraisers were called “A Guardian Angel for Emma” — would alert them 20-40 minutes before she were to crash or have a high-blood-sugar attack.

“I have to raise money for this dog,” Badgley said. She explained that the dog was already in five weeks of obedience and sense training in order to alert people properly of Emma’s blood sugar conditions.

Though she was excited about the trip to Disney World, it was the dog that sparked the real emotion.

“She cried when she heard about the dog,” Allan Louise said. “When she heard about Disney, she was like, ‘OK,’ but when she heard about the dog, she cried.”

Emma was taken aback by the surprise, and stayed closed to her parents throughout the duration of the event.

But John Breene, a commercial producer and family friend, said that it’s only the beginning.

Said Breene: “I think Emma was taken quite aback. I think it’ll all sink in later on. She’ll probably have a lot of trouble going to sleep tonight.”

Published on September 11, 2012 at 2:00 am

Contact Madina: matoure@syr.edu