- Justine Sharples given initial price of £4,563 for holiday at Disneyland Paris
- But she when asked for room fridge to keep son alive, price rose to £34,026
- Three-year-old Matthew needs 24-hour care due to life-threatening condition
- Fridge was essential to store his special feed and drugs, said Mrs Sharples
-  Disney insisted the cost was high because the only accommodation at the resort with a fridge was their Sleeping Beauty suite, ‘used by celebrities’
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A mother booking her desperately ill son on a dream Disney trip was told it would cost £30,000 to provide a fridge for his medicines.
Justine Sharples, whose three-year-old son Matthew needs 24-hour care, was given an initial price of £4,563 by Disneyland Paris for her family’s four-day holiday.
But when she asked for a room fridge – vital for helping to keep Matthew alive – the price rocketed to £34,026.
Holiday: Justine and John Sharples with their three-year-old son Matthew, second left, and his brothers
Mrs Sharples says Disney insisted the cost was high because the only accommodation at the resort with a fridge was their Sleeping Beauty suite, ‘used by celebrities’.
She says she was offered the use of a fridge in the Disneyland Hotel’s reception but explained this was impractical as she has to get up three times nightly to administer drugs and catheterise Matthew.
And when she asked to bring her own fridge, or pay extra for one in a standard room, she says her request was refused because it was ‘against hotel policy’.
Mrs Sharples said: ‘Disney is everything Matthew loves. He so wants to see Buzz Lightyear and the other characters. We don’t know how long we’ve got him for because his condition, called PUV, is life-threatening.
Attraction: Justine Sharples, whose three-year-old son Matthew needs 24-hour care, was given an initial price of £4,563 by Disneyland Paris (pictured). But when she asked for a room fridgem the price rocketed to £34,026
‘The fridge is essential because we have to store two litres of special feed and three litres of cooled boiled water every day. That’s in addition to all his drugs.’ Mrs Sharples, 42, husband John, a 40-year-old cycling coach, and children Luke, 15, Zak, eight, Joshua, six, and Matthew, planned to stay at Disneyland Paris in November.
The family, from Punnetts Town, East Sussex, have been given a £500 grant by the charity Family Fund, which helps provide holidays for seriously ill children. Matthew’s illness is a congenital anomaly causing a blockage in the urethra leading to further complications, including, in Matthew’s case, acute renal failure and a damaged bladder and colon.
He is unable to eat normally and survives on baby milk pumped through a tube directly into his stomach.
Family: Mrs Sharples (pictured with her family) says Disney insisted the cost was high because the only accommodation at the resort with a fridge was their Sleeping Beauty suite, ‘used by celebrities’
His life depends on a 12-times-daily cocktail of drugs – all of which must be refrigerated – and his mother has to catheterise him every two hours.Â
When The Mail on Sunday contacted Disney, a spokeswoman said there had been a ‘misunderstanding’ with hotel booking staff. Within hours, the Sharples were assured a fridge would be provided – along with complimentary VIP tickets.
The spokeswoman said: ‘Mrs Sharples has booked two rooms with Disneyland Paris. One will come with a portable fridge to accommodate medicine for her son Matthew.
‘We sincerely regret any misunderstanding that occurred. Disneyland Paris works with around 80 different wish-giving associations across Europe and we warmly welcome children who require special care.’
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