Loyola's mission in motion
The Jesuit ideal of being people for others was apparent in the Division of Student Affairs. Yolanda Taylor, assistant to Associate Vice President Vickie McNeil, and her eight-year-old son, Uraeus, left for a five-day, all-expenses-paid trip to Disneyworld on November 18. Jackson and Uraeus, 49 other children, their families, and a group of medical professionals boarded a chartered plane in Dallas and flew into Orlando. She said the trip was owed in large part to her co-worker Tammy Jackson, assistant to Vice President Jim Eiseman, whom Taylor calls Uraeus' "angel on earth." The way the trip came about is just one more example of that special Loyola spirit. On a typical workday morning in September, Jackson was driving into work listening to one of her favorite radio stations, FM 105.3 the Zone. The commentator, Kidd Kraddick, began talking about a contest where winners received a trip to Disneyworld. As she continued listening, Jackson realized this was no ordinary contest. Every year, the station sponsors 50 chronically-ill children and their families with a fun-filled adventure to the "happiest place on earth."
"I was listening," Jackson remembers, "and it just hit me. 'Oh my gosh,' I thought, this would be perfect" for Taylor and Uraeus. She asked Taylor if she could request an application. She knew time was of the essence.
As Taylor explained, Uraeus, whose name means "ray of sun," was diagnosed with acute renal failure when he was 18 months old. The doctors recently informed her that a kidney transplant was imminent. "It's been called," Taylor said. "We've already started looking at family members."
After an extensive application processone that required his physician to detail Uraeus' condition and committee approvalthe small family was informed in mid-October that Uraeus had been selected to make the trip. Two weeks later, Taylor and an office filled with jubilant co-workers and work-study students conducted a live interview with Kraddick. Additional live interviews were done at the theme park.
Uraeus had never been to Disneyworld and Taylor said her son was "tremendously excited. This is the best medicine that could have been prescribed." The student affairs staff showered Uraeus with all things Mickey including a stuffed animal that his mom said he will not let go. The staff also gave Taylor a surprise send-off party November 16.
"Uraeus has a lot of friends at Loyola," Taylor acknowledged, "and they all love him."
