SWEETWATER, FLA. (WSVN) – Several South Florida families got to take a trip they thought would never happen.

The families of 64 children fighting life-threatening illnesses boarded buses in Sweetwater bound for “The Happiest Place on Earth” on Friday.

Among those heading to Disney World is Bea Rodriguez and her mother, Suzy Casanueva.

“It’s amazing. Everything was done for us; we can enjoy it and not just the craziness of this life,” said Casanueva.

Bea isn’t the only one experiencing the joys of Disney World for the first time.

Leonardo Tinoco, or Leo, is also making his first trip to the parks with his family.

“This is going to be Leo’s first time going to Disney, so it’s really exciting. I am happy to see how he is going to react because he’s never been there,” said Kimi Paz, Leo’s mother.

Leo’s parents told 7News that most of his week is normally filled with school responsibilities, followed by therapy and specialist appointments.

“He gets speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, so that’s week,” said Saul Tinoco, Leo’s father.

This trip to visit Mickey Mouse was made possible by the Li’l Abner Foundation and their program, “Disney on Wheels.”

The program aims to help children with medical needs experience Disney firsthand — something many of these families aren’t able to do on their own.

“These are children that really unfortunately have it a little bit tougher than we do. So everything from being quadriplegic to having cancer to having medical tubes on them, feeding tubes, all sorts of different illnesses that they have, and this would be the only way that they can go,” said Raul Rodriguez, the organization’s founder.

The trip also serves a purpose beyond just enjoying the wonders of Disney. It gives each family a well-deserved chance to press pause on constant visits to doctors, therapist sessions, and hospitals, and instead create unforgettable memories together at the most magical place on earth.

“I am very happy, and he’s very happy as well,” said Paz. “Having such a big community that’s able to help us out, it honestly brings me so much happiness, and it honestly makes me want to cry too because it’s so heartwarming.”

Organizers for the trip said planning to make this all possible takes about a year and hundreds of volunteers.

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