Make Your Family Vacation a Reality with Autism on the Seas

It's no secret, taking a family vacation on a cruise is some serious fun! And cruise lines have done a tremendous job at ensuring that a cruise vacation can be accessible to people with disabilities. Yet despite their best efforts there certain amount of doubt remains in the minds of some. 

If you're the parent of a special needs child and you've often dreamed of taking your whole family on a cruise vacation, but doubted the feasibility, then doubt no more! This post is especially for you!

 

I've known about Autism on the Seas (AOTS) for some time now, but I recently had the privilege of meeting and getting to know its founder and owner, Mike Sobbell. What passion! What commitment! What a caring heart! I instantly fell in love with his message and his mission, and I immediately asked if he, along with his partner, Jamie Grover, Director of Group Development, would guest blog for CareVacations. I just know some of my friends out there would love to learn more, and so I say... this is for you, my friends! 

"It is often difficult for parents of special needs children to envision taking a family vacation, much less a cruise vacation.  At Autism on the Seas we have been providing these cruise vacations to special needs families for more than five years.  We work hard to bring families dealing with a variety of developmental disabilities the opportunity to have such a vacation. 

"While Autism is the primary disability the families who cruise with us are facing, the trend is changing. We are now cruising with more families who are faced with other developmental disabilities such as Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Traumatic Brain Injury, etc.

“Autism on the Seas screens and selects staff who have experience working with special needs children and adults.   The majority of our staff are students at major universities across the country who are working on a degree in some form of child development.  Having qualified staff who know and understand the children and adults who cruise with Autism on the Seas is the key to families being able to relax and truly enjoy what is often their first family vacation."

CareVacations wants to thank Mike, Jamie, and the entire AOTS team for all they do for kids and adults with special needs and their families. CareVacations is proud of what you do, and it is our pleasure to sing your praises, loud and proud! THANK YOU! 

About Autism on the Seas: Bringing a sense of normalcy to the families cruising with them has resulted in Autism on the Seas being the leader in special needs vacations.  Their success has allowed them to expand their services to include land vacations starting in 2012. Mike Sobbell is determined to offer special needs families a variety of vacation options including vacation options to land-lovers wanting to vacation or a weekend get-a-way in the very near future.  To get updated information on upcoming vacations options you should join their Email Bulletin at, and visit their website: www.AutismontheSeas.com. You can also find Autism on the Seas at their Facebook page.   

About CareVacations: Serving the cruise industry for more than 20 years, CareVacations is the leading provider of mobility scooters, wheelchairs, Oxygen, and other special needs equipment for cruise passengers with disabilities and aging travelers. Working hand in hand with all major cruise lines and disability experts, and partnering closely with the travel agent community since 1988, CareVacations name is synonymous with trust, reliability, and quality. Our team is comprised of the best and most knowledgeable experts from their respective cruise industry-related fields, and combined with our longevity and reputation for excellence, CareVacations has helped enable thousands of cruisers experience their dreams of travel and adventure come true. Our services are available in cruise ports around the world and our customer service representatives are available to assist 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can find CareVacations on Facebook and Twitter (@CareVacations) and LinkedIn.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month Takes on a Whole New Meaning for CareVacations

October is a busy month for most... OUT with the sundresses and IN with the sweaters, the Pumpkin Spice Latte returns as the #1 coffee sold at Starbucks, NFL is back while Major League Baseball winds down, school's in full-swing for the kiddos, and cruise lines are making big announcements faster than my fingers can Tweet (@CareVacations)!   


But October is bigger than all those things... it means more. October is the month of pink; October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and CareVacations is acutely aware. 

Everywhere you turn, you're likely to see the pink ribbon that represents Breast Cancer Awareness; you will probably hear the name Susan G. Komen more than once, and you might pass a very special group of people on the street "Racing for the Cure". If if you were out and about in Edmonton on Sunday, you just might have seen one of those special people, CareVacations' Owner and Vice President, Susan Stilwell. On October 2nd Susan took to the streets of Edmonton for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation's 5k, CIBC Run for the Cure. Walking along side her daughter, Sarah, Susan demonstrated her own strength as she donned her very own pink SURVIVOR t-shirt. That's right... Susan is a SURVIVOR!

Breast cancer touches all of us, in one way or another, and now CareVacations' very own family has been rocked to our core by the disease. While it may sound cliché to some, Susan really is our fearless leader. Her strength and courage during the past 13 months have been nothing short of inspiring. As the weekly, and sometimes daily, email updates hit our in boxes, the motto that often echoed through the CareVacations' offices around the globe was, "She'll beat this." And Susan is doing just that! 

Susan's life changed forever in September 2010 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. The "cancer army" had drafted Susan as an unwilling opponent; she was involuntarily enlisted by the bastards that were the cancer cells poisoning her body. If there was ever a time someone would want to run away, this was the time... not Susan. Instead, Susan, with the support of her husband Don, her daughter Sarah, and her son Daniel, decided to turn the tables on cancer. She was going to fight like the soldier she had become, but she was going to wage her own war against cancer.

After weeks of being poked and prodded, tests and more tests, Susan began what was going to be her journey of debilitating chemo and radiation treatments; not waving for even a second, Susan endured the "Red Devil" or "Red Death". For those of you who don't know, these are the oh-so-positive (insert sarcastic tone here) nicknames of a very potent, red-colored, cancer-fighting drug... nice, huh? When May 2011 approached, Susan was prepared to celebrate her last dose of the "Red Devil" only to be slammed with another blow; as a side-effect of the damned "Red Devil", Susan's heart began to fail. After experiencing shortness of breath for several days, she was admitted to the hospital where she spent several weeks while she recovered and gave her heart time to repair. 

Susan (left) and her daughter, Sarah (right)

Fast forward to September 2011, one year after her initial diagnosis, Susan's body is recovering. Her heart is getting stronger and each day that goes by is one more day that she has beat the cancer-bastards. And just in time to commemorate kicking cancer's a** (you know what goes here) to the curb, Susan embarks on her own new personal journey as a Survivor! 

Now, Susan's outlook has shifted in to Survivor-mode. She's no longer the reluctant soldier who was drafted against her will; Susan is an honorary member of an elite sorority... a sister-hood... of Survivors. Surrounded by love, support, prayer, and great doctors, Susan and her sorority sisters (and let's not forget the brothers) are their own army. Every day they battle against breast cancer through promoting awareness and raising money to find a cure. 

I know I speak for Susan when I say, THANK YOU to each and every person who sent well wishes to the Stilwell and CareVacations families. We felt your prayers and love. We are thankful to all the Survivors before Susan and for those who will come after, and we celebrate the lives of those we've lost.

Please join the Stilwells and CareVacations in promoting breast cancer awareness and fighting for a cure!

For more information on breast cancer and statistics you should know, visit the Susan G. Komen website.

About CareVacations: Serving the cruise industry for more than 20 years, CareVacations is the leading provider of mobility scooters, wheelchairs, Oxygen, and other special needs equipment for cruise passengers with disabilities and aging travelers. Working hand in hand with all major cruise lines and disability experts, and partnering closely with the travel agent community since 1988, CareVacations name is synonymous with trust, reliability, and quality. Our team is comprised of the best and most knowledgeable experts from their respective cruise industry-related fields, and combined with our longevity and reputation for excellence, CareVacations has helped enable thousands of cruisers experience their dreams of travel and adventure come true. Our services are available in cruise ports around the world and our customer service representatives are available to assist 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can find CareVacations on Facebook and Twitter (@CareVacations) and LinkedIn.