Disneyland Paris trip for Rickinghall family with The Magical Taxi Tour charity
A family enjoyed a holiday of a lifetime when a charity took them to Disneyland Paris.
Michaela Poll and her children, Johnny, eight, and Amara, six, were chosen by the Magical Taxi Tour for the special trip at the end of September.
They travelled to meet Mickey and friends in a holiday organised by the Worshipful Company of Hackney Carriage Drivers.
Every year, the organisation funds a trip for children suffering from a range of chronic debilitating illnesses and life-limiting conditions to the European theme park.
Ms Poll, from Rickinghall, said: “Johnny was diagnosed with retinoblastoma in 2018, when he was just 18 months old.
“He had a tumour in one eye and had to have it removed. Now that he is cancer free, we still have to have yearly checks and he has a new eye made each year.”
Retinoblastoma is a form of cancer that develops from the immature cells of the retina, the light-detecting tissue of the eye. It is most common in children, especially those under three years old.
The family were contacted at the end of June, with the news of the trip.
“When I first read it, I thought it was a joke,” said the 33-year-old.
“It was only when I read down and saw it was from the play specialist at the Royal London Hospital, where Johnny had been treated, that I realised it was real.
“It was just insane. The oncology department at the hospital had chosen four children and Johnny was one of those picked at random.”
The family-of-three travelled to London on September 20, when they joined the other families selected for the trip for a meal in Canary Wharf.
“It was lovely,” said Ms Poll, who works as a teaching assistant at St Botolph’s Primary School in Botesdale. “It was only then that I realised just how many people were involved in putting the trip together.”
The next day, 120 taxis set off from the capital in a convoy, accompanied by police, ambulances and the AA.
On both sides of the Channel, police stopped traffic on slip roads to ensure the convoy’s smooth journey to Disneyland Paris.
Each taxi costs £1,500, which covers the cost of hotels, fuel, food and admission charges. This is funded through donations, with the drivers giving their time and the use of their vehicles for free.
“It is just unbelievable to think that people have given so much for me, Johnny and Amara to have an unbelievable trip,” Ms Poll told the Diss Express.
“It was a trip of a lifetime. The amount of things we got to do in that time was incredible and it has created memories that we will remember forever.
“People have asked me about the trip since we got back and I literally can’t describe how amazing it was for the three of us. It was such a special weekend.
“I am so grateful for what the charity has done for us and would love to see it receive more recognition.”
