By Jo Mercer, Specialist Children’s Community Physiotherapist
Last year I had the absolute honour of nominating Lucas, one of the young people I work with, for Dreamflight 2025. Dreamflight is a UK charity that takes children with serious illnesses or disabilities on the most magical ten-day trip to Orlando. The children go without their parents and travel with a dedicated team of doctors, nurses, physios and volunteers, giving them a chance to feel independent, brave and free in a way that everyday life doesn’t always allow.
Lucas lives with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), a progressive genetic condition that causes muscle weakness and loss of function over time. It’s a condition that asks a lot of courage from very young people, and Lucas has that in abundance.
For Lucas, this opportunity came at a time when life felt particularly heavy. His condition is progressing and with that comes a slow loss of confidence, independence and the ability to join in with the things he used to enjoy. When he found out he had been selected he was genuinely unsure whether he wanted to go. The idea of travelling without his family was huge for him and he was understandably nervous. But with tears, immense bravery, and a huge amount of courage, he chose, at the very last moment, to say yes. And in true Lucas style, he even managed to secure himself a first-class seat on the plane.
And I’m so glad he did.
While he was away, he had experiences that go far beyond anything I can offer during a physio session. He went to theme parks. He made new friends. And he even swam with dolphins. In what anyone who knows him would instantly recognise as a very Lucas response, he came home calling the whole experience “alright,” but the photos told the real story.
Every day that week I checked the Dreamflight Instagram page far more often than I’d like to admit, just hoping to catch a glimpse of him. Each time I saw his face in a crowd, smiling or concentrating or simply soaking it all in, it felt like my whole chest filled up. It is hard to put into words how much it meant to see him living so fully, even for a moment.
“Lucas was really struggling with the differences between him and his peers before he went, and his anxiety was sky high. After spending 10 days on Dreamflight where he was an equal, he came back happier and lighter.” – Julia, Lucas’ mum
Working with children who have degenerative conditions can be emotionally tough. There are moments when the weight of what we cannot change sits heavily. I can support mobility, ease discomfort and encourage participation, but I cannot alter the course of his condition. That reality can stay with you.
But what this experience reminded me is that we can still make a difference in other powerful ways. We can bring joy. We can widen a child’s world. We can give them memories that last and confidence they carry forward. Nominating Lucas felt like such a small thing at the time, but watching the impact it had on him made me realise all over again why our role matters far beyond the physical tasks we do.
As a Children’s Community Physiotherapy service, we have now nominated several children to Dreamflight over the years and many of them have been accepted. Every single one has come back with stories that are bigger and brighter than anything we could ever create within a physio session. These trips change something in them.