Welcome to Rayden's page. Here you will find a story of our sons journey with Spina Bifida. There have been many challenges and struggles through the years but it's been worth it! I have tried to keep this blog updated. It might be easier to navigate by using the side bar and looking for specific dates or posts. You can even use the search engine for something specific. I welcome comments as well.
Rayden is one busy fellow! We are working hard to make memories and focus on the joys of life.
April 8-Solar Eclipse
Total Solar Eclipse
April 10 Special Olympics
April 13 Judging Shriner's Clown Competition
April 19 Playground Fun
May 2 Field Day
May 18 Gobbles & Grunts Fun Day
Rayden has actually been feeling really good since we returned from Disney World. He no longer complains every day about his legs/back hurting. He doesn't ask for his wheelchair. It seems as if his pain is gone. Therefore, we decided to cancel his tethered cord surgery in June. Thank you God for answering our prayers. 💙
Rayden harvested his very first turkey this morning! It’s a fabulous bird too! Thanks so much to Kitty Fork Outdoors, Jeff and Dana Jones, Gerome Heath, Ty Hunter, Hunter Britt and Alex. Everyone put their heart and prayers into this hunt and we can’t thank them all enough!
You can feel the excitement of everyone in the blind when this Tom turkey came running toward the decoy. He put on a good show, attacking the decoy over and over with his giant spurs. The guys tried to be so quiet loading the gun, that when Rayden tried to take the shot it didn't fire properly. This happened several times. Even though the turkey heard the clicks, he never left! It was like God told this Tom he was going to be Rayden's trophy today, no matter what, so he just waited. When Rayden fired the shot, the turkey jumped up and tried to fly to the woods. He only made it to the edge before landing. Another Tom turkey came running toward him. When Hunter and Ty got to the shot turkey, he was being attacked by the second Tom! Rayden, Alex, and Uncle G were sitting at the blind waiting for the results. When they held up Rayden's trophy turkey, he couldn't contain his excitement. He began to run across the field. Of course, this wasn't very successful, so Alex picked him up and carried him over to see his kill. Everyone was bubbling with pride!
After taking some measurements, and pictures at Jeff and Dana Jones house, we decided to drive Rayden and his prize turkey to Greenville for the 2024 Youth Pirate Classic.
WINNER, WINNER!!! Rayden’s Turkey won 9th place out of 61 over all. He was the 4th heaviest bird!! (286 kids signed up)
Capt. Brett Isackson took the guys out for a 6 hour Iguana and Peacock Bass outdoor adventure. Rayden was super excited. He loved EVERY SINGLE THING about this day; shooting pellet riffles, fishing, riding a boat, being outside, and spending time with his favorite people. Actually killing 6 iguana and catching 6 Peacock Bass were just icing on the cake. We had to purchase a large, styrofoam cooler to transport their trophies home for mounting and cooking. They cooked the iguana many different ways; fried, grilled, and sauced. Everyone said it was surprisingly good and tasted like chicken or frog legs.
I can't put this week into words. After such a horrible experience last year, I am relieved to report we had a MAGICAL TIME at Disney World. "Give Kids the World" provided Rayden with Memory Maker (all photos taken on site), 3 park tickets each (child and parents), and a Wish Pass (preventing us from standing in long lines). Between the Wish Pass and DAS Pass we didn't have to stand in line at all! We were able to ride everything we wanted (sometimes twice), and went straight to the front of every character meet and greet line as well. AMAZING!!! We had reservations to eat with characters at the Garden Grill at Epcot, Tusker House at Animal Kingdom, Chef Mickey's on our rest day, Liberty Tree Tavern at Magic Kingdom, and 50's Prime Time at Hollywood Studios. We also attended the Fantasmic Fireworks show at Hollywood Studios and had premier seating at Magic Kingdom, directly in front of the castle, for the Post-Fireworks Dessert Party.
We were worried about Rayden driving a scooter around in such large crowds, but we certainly didn't want to push him the entire time either. He wasn't old enough to drive Disney's scooters, so we brought Nanny's personal one instead. He was a remarkable driver. He followed me around, drove slowly, and didn't run into anyone...but me!
Rayden’s Turkey won 9th place out of 61 over all. He was the 4th heaviest bird!! (286 kids signed up)
