THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, January 2, 1997 TAG: 9701020060
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY REBECCA MYERS CUTCHINS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH LENGTH: 74 lines
Sixteen-year-old Jimmie Nixon Jr., along with his parents and sister, have waited four months for their family vacation to Disney World.
In August, the Nixons were booked on a Florida-bound flight to see the Magic Kingdom, compliments of the Sunshine Foundation, an organization that fulfills the wishes of chronically and terminally ill children.
But six days before the family was scheduled to leave, Jimmie was hospitalized with complications from a rare hereditary disease called Hunter syndrome, which is characterized by dwarfism and mental retardation.
Today, however, with his doctors' approval, Jimmie will be able to make that trip with his mother, Patricia, his father, Jimmie Sr., and his 13-year-old sister, Annette. The trip will be Jimmie's first ride in an airplane.
``He's getting sicker and sicker, and we thought maybe it would be nice for him to go again,'' said Jimmie's mother.
The Nixons took their first trip to Disney World about three years ago as part of a family vacation. When the Sunshine Foundation granted Jimmie one wish, his parents decided on another trip to the Magic Kingdom based on its ``children-friendly'' atmosphere.
``And they really help you out a lot when you're in a wheelchair and need to get around,'' Patricia Nixon added.
For five days and four nights, they will stay at the Sunshine Foundation's Dream Village in a cottage equipped with oxygen to accommodate Jimmie's severe respiratory problems.
His parents also will carry Jimmie's portable breathing machine, which is used nightly when he sleeps.
``When Jimmie was young, he snored a lot,'' Patricia Nixon explained. ``So they took his tonsils and adenoids out, and now they're finding that tissue has grown where they operated. And this is causing his breathing problems.''
In the more severe form of Hunter syndrome, which Jimmie has, physical and mental development reach a peak equivalent to that of a 2- to 4-year-old. A deficiency in an enzyme causes the disease, which affects males only. The disorder occurs in 1 of 100,000 live births, according to literature provided by the National Organization for Rare Disorders.
``Things that he used to be able to do, he can't do anymore,'' Patricia Nixon said. ``He used to talk, and he used to walk on his own. He used to be able to tell you his name - things that a 3- or 4-year-old could do.''
Around the age of 6, Jimmie started regressing and now functions at about the age of an 18-month-old, his mother said.
Both Jimmie and his sister, who is in the eighth grade, are students at Hunt-Mapp Middle School. His mother teaches music at the Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind in Hampton, and his father, Jimmie Sr., teaches automotive mechanics at Norfolk Technical Vocational Center.
The family will spend two days in Disney World and one day each at Universal Studios and Sea World, returning home on Monday.
Since the Sunshine Foundation was founded in 1976, it has helped more than 21,000 special children. In Virginia, about 400 wishes have been granted in the last 10 years, said Bill Bishop, founder and president of the Virginia law enforcement chapter of the Sunshine Foundation.
``Some children want to go to Hawaii, some want to meet a famous person,'' said Bishop, who has helped children meet celebrities like Kenny Rogers and the country music group Alabama. ``One kid just wanted a motorcycle part.''
Trips to Disney World are the most frequently requested wish, said Debi Krebs, family services coordinator with the Florida-based Sunshine Foundation. About 200 such trips were provided to families last year.
It will be nice to take a family trip before he gets too ill and can't go anywhere,'' Patricia Nixon said. ``I mainly just want to help him to have a good time while he can.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by MARK MITCHELL/The Virginian-Pilot
Jimmie Nixon Jr., foreground, has Hunter syndrome, a hereditary
birth defect. With him at home in the Brighton section of Portsmouth
prior to their trip are his sister Annette, left, and parents,
Patricia and Jimmie Nixon Sr.
KEYWORDS: SUNSHINE FOUNDATION