A Twentieth Birthday in the Magic Kingdom

Tonton has turned twenty.

To celebrate her birthday, the two of us went to Disney.

We spent the first day at Tokyo DisneySea, stayed overnight at the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel, and visited Tokyo Disneyland on the second day.

Tonton seemed to be looking forward to it well before we left.

Whenever her support workers or visiting nurses came to our home, she would tell them, without being prompted, that she was going to Disney.

Seeing her like that, I wanted to do everything I could to make it a happy trip.

Still, I had my worries.

Above all, I was concerned about the weather and how Tonton would be feeling.

For Tonton, heat carries the risk of triggering a seizure.

But rain would make getting around and waiting more difficult, too.

I hoped for cloudy skies, with a high of no more than 24°C.

More than anything, I hoped she would stay well and enjoy herself without having a seizure.

Those were my wishes as we set off.

In the end, both days were sunny with occasional clouds, and the high was 27°C.

It was hot for October, but we took breaks in air-conditioned places whenever we had time, making our way around without pushing ourselves.

On the first day, the ride Tonton had said she wanted to try was Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey.

The posted wait was more than two and a half hours.

Waiting in the regular line would have been difficult, so we used Disability Access Service, or DAS.

It allows guests to spend an attraction’s waiting time somewhere other than in the queue.

We had an early lunch at a nearby restaurant and waited while resting somewhere cool.

That was how she got to go on the ride she had been looking forward to.

There was something else Tonton had wanted to do before the trip: have her picture taken with Minnie.

We used DAS for that as well, and her wish came true.

Something unexpected happened while we were waiting.

We were resting on a bench in the shade when two monkey characters who were nearby came over to Tonton.

She was wearing a birthday sticker on her chest.

The two of them noticed it and celebrated her birthday with her.

We took pictures together, too.

Tonton looked a little shy, but happy, at the unexpected celebration.

It was a lovely moment we had never planned.

For dinner that first evening, I had booked a restaurant inside a ship at DisneySea.

It served a set course menu.

When I showed Tonton the menu, she pointed to the roast beef course.

To be honest, I thought she probably would not be able to finish it all.

But it was what she wanted to eat, so that was what we ordered.

When the food arrived, Tonton picked up her knife and fork and began eating with great determination, using them in her own way.

At most meals, I sit beside her and help her eat. That evening, though, we were sitting across the table from each other.

Perhaps that was part of the reason she was trying so hard to eat by herself.

I watched her from the other side of the table.

Usually, I would have been beside her, lending a hand.

But that day, Tonton was moving the knife and fork herself.

Sitting across from each other in a restaurant, sharing a meal to celebrate her twentieth birthday.

I was happy that we could spend that time together.

The next morning, we had a reservation for the hotel’s breakfast buffet sometime between seven and eight.

It was an early start, and I had been a little worried about whether we could keep to our plans.

But Tonton got up early, and we made it to the restaurant on time.

She had her favorites, scrambled eggs and croissants, for breakfast.

Getting ready does not always go so smoothly at home.

That made it all the more heartwarming, and I felt I could count on her, too.

Thanks to that, we were also able to use Happy Entry, the early admission benefit for hotel guests.

On the second day, Tonton had said she wanted to ride Splash Mountain.

It would be her first time.

Once we entered the park through Happy Entry, we headed straight there.

When the ride was over, Tonton was beaming.

“It’s not scary at all!”

“I’m soaking wet!”

She looked so happy as she said it.

Her very first time, and she was enjoying it this much.

That was what I thought as I watched her smile.

Later, when it was nearly time to go home, I asked,

“What would you like to ride one last time?”

Tonton chose Splash Mountain, the very first ride we had been on that morning.

She must have really loved it.

We decided to use DAS once more.

We rested in the shade for about an hour until it was our turn.

Then, to finish our visit, we rode Splash Mountain again.

Tonton seemed content.

And so our two-day Disney trip came to an end.

Before we left, I had been worried about the heat and seizures.

But Tonton went on the rides she wanted to try and met Minnie, whom she had been hoping to see. She received an unexpected birthday celebration, and at the restaurant she put so much effort into eating the meal she had chosen herself.

Above all, she had no seizures throughout the two days, and we came home well.

For me, that mattered most of all.

The truth is, even before this trip, worries about our future had been weighing on my mind.

What should we do about a group home?

Would I be able to return to work?

How much longer could the two of us keep living together as we do now?

None of the questions we need to face has been resolved.

But for those two days, I wanted, above all, for Tonton to enjoy herself.

And since we had come all this way, I decided that I would enjoy myself, too.

Last year, we came to Disney as a family of four.

There were moments when that memory crossed my mind.

But now, Tonton and I were here together, just the two of us.

So let’s enjoy this moment, here and now.

That was how I chose to spend our time.

And I think that, for those two days, I truly managed to do that.

Once we return to everyday life, our usual routines begin again.

Support workers, transport arrangements, returning to work.

There is so much to think about and so much to do.

Those two days did not solve anything.

Even so, Tonton’s happy smiles were real. So was the happiness I felt myself.

“The land of dreams” really is a fitting name.

Looking back now that we are home, those two days feel almost as though I had been dreaming.

It was a happy dream, shared with Tonton, now twenty years old—just the two of us.