Severna Park Community Provides Send-Off Fit For A Princess

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Lindsay Seay is a loving mother who would do anything to see her children happy and healthy. Her daughter Reagan, a bubbly fifth-grade student at Oak Hill Elementary School, has the happy part down pat, but the healthy aspect has been lifelong challenge.

Reagan was born with heart defects and has undergone several surgeries in her short life. Last August, Reagan underwent a 22-hour heart-reconstruction surgery in California. While Reagan recovered on the West Coast, her mother said not a day went by when Reagan didn’t receive at least one letter from her Girl Scout troop, and despite the distance, Reagan never felt alone.

Now the young lady is feeling much better and continues to get stronger every day, even feeling well enough to play lacrosse this spring. The Make-a-Wish Foundation Mid-Atlantic chapter granted Reagan an ultimate wish, which took place on May 19.

For her wish, Reagan selflessly asked for an ultimate slumber party for her entire Girl Scout troop. Unbeknownst to Reagan and her friends, a luxury motor coach was planned to pick up Reagan and the troop in their Chartridge community and take them to a slumber party of princess dreams.

Seay hoped some of their neighbors would come to the send-off, so she posted a simple message on Facebook, and that’s where things really took off. Within hours, Seay’s post had 175 “likes” and she had received 80 private messages. Local organizations like Green Hornets and other Severna Park neighborhoods sent messages to their members asking for the community’s help in wishing the girls well.

In whirlwind fashion, Seay’s foray into social media had garnered the attention of the Severna Park High School band, local television news media, the police department and hundreds if not thousands of Severna Park residents.

To kick off the special weekend, Reagan was first surprised by relatives who had flown in from Atlanta. At the designated time, the 26 Girls Scouts, Reagan, her brother and a friend gathered in Chartridge to the sounds of the high school band playing, and neighbors from as far as the eye could see cheering and holding signs of encouragement. The kids boarded the bus feeling like celebrities.

“The send-off far exceeded anything I could have imagined,” Seay said. “The bus had a police escort with sirens blaring, the bus was honking its horn. Planning Reagan’s wish took more than a year, but it all ended up 15,000 times better than our wildest dreams.”

Wearing a bejeweled tiara and standing at the front of the bus so she could wave to her adoring fans, Reagan told her mother that her cheeks “hurt so bad from smiling!” Reagan exclaimed, “I think I have frozen smiles!”

“As the bus turned the corner [and out of the Chartridge neighborhood], every parent had tears in their eyes,” Seay said. “There were hundreds of people, and even Fox45 was there to give Reagan and her friends a send-off to remember.”

The girls were taken to a private home in Harwood, Maryland, where they were treated to a “Princess Diaries” themed ultimate sleepover. They watched movies (“The Princess Diaries” and “The Princess Diaries 2,” of course, and “Ella Enchanted”), mattress-surfed the stairs just like in the movie, sang karaoke, went horseback riding, made crafts and ate s’mores. In a scene reminiscent of the Budweiser Clydesdale commercials, as the coach approached its final destination, horses in the pasture starting running alongside the bus, much to the delight of passengers.

The dinner menu, set by Reagan, included filet mignon, loaded baked potatoes, steamed broccoli and a mint chocolate chip cake donated by Michael Brown from Cakes & Confections Bakery Cafe. Brown saw Seay’s post and wanted to provide something special for her daughter. For breakfast the next morning, the kids feasted on crepes, omelets and waffles.

The girls returned on Sunday afternoon, exhilarated and exhausted.

“We were going to let Reagan sleep in on Monday and not have to go to school,” said Seay, “but when Reagan woke at 11:00am, she wanted to quickly get to school because she didn’t want to miss recess.”

Reagan had exclaimed, “Mom, I have to get there before recess because my sleepover will be the talk of the town!”

Looking back at her ultimate slumber party, Seay said Reagan most enjoyed the send-off.

“She looked at me and said, ‘Mom, we live in the best place, ever!’” Seay added. “Severna Park is just amazing like that. Here, every kid is your kid. We could not be happier.”

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