Iosif, age 10, moved to the US from Romania in 2020 for his father’s job with NATO. Less than two years later, on Christmas Eve, 2022, he was diagnosed with cancer. With all that he had gone through, this young man deserved something special. Iosif told us that he wanted a memorable experience with his family, so chose to go to Disney. “We made so many special memories,” his mother expressed. “It was a gift for the whole family!” 

Out of all the Orlando theme parks, Iosif enjoyed Hollywood Studios the best. He loved the Transformers ride and rode the Fast & Furious ride twice – “We loved the fast pass!” his mother said. He discovered Star Wars while he was there and had fun on all of the intergalactic rides. “And also – when we were in Star Wars, they made it very special by giving him a private introduction to Chewbacca. He’s so big!” his mother said. 

“So many people who worked there noticed us, including characters, and they made it absolutely special. Iosif loves being the center of attention, so he was feeling great!” his mother told us about meeting some of the characters at the parks. 

Iosif and his family loved GKTW too. “What an amazing place!” his mother exclaimed. “So many volunteers who helped with everything – it was overwhelming, but so nice!” She added, “The Village itself was absolutely amazing – you felt like you were at Disney. My kids loved, loved, loved the ice cream shop!” 

Iosif’s mother shared with us a funny moment they had one day when they were driving home to the Village. “As we were cruising to our villa, my kids saw the man with the bakery cart bike and got so excited! We waved as we passed, and he chased us home to make sure that the kids got some cookies. That made them very happy!”  

In addition to eating ice cream and cookies, they played at the arcade, rode the Village rides, placed a star in the Castle of Miracles, and went to all the parties, including the talent show where Iosif break danced! 

“This was our first trip since Iosif’s diagnosis. It came at the right time, as Iosif is feeling good. But this trip was so unexpected – it was such a good moment in our lives. It was a great experience and even more than we thought it could be. We met so many amazing people – volunteers and the people working in the parks. It was so inspiring,” his mother reflected.  

She added, “This trip was more than a standard trip – we will never get this experience again. It was absolutely amazing!” 

We are so happy Iosif got to experience this special piece of America with his family – and his health! We are thankful for our partnership with #ChartwayPromiseFoundation for helping to fund this Dream.