By creator to news.google.com
ORRINGTON, Maine (WABI) – Santa’s helpers are available in all sizes and shapes.
On this case, a boy from Winterport is ensuring youngsters who must spend Christmas at one Portland hospital nonetheless have presents to unwrap.
Five-year-old Grayson Witham has a uncommon genetic dysfunction known as autosomal recessive polycystic illness (ARPKD). As his household searches for a donor, they are saying they discovered final week that Grayson’s kidneys are not functioning and should be eliminated.
Once they came upon Grayson can be within the hospital over Christmas, they requested him if he had any particular requests for the vacation.
His want? That each different affected person on his ground on the Barbara Bush Youngsters’s Hospital would have a gift to unwrap.
“He knew he was going to be spending Christmas on the Barbara Bush Heart and determined that, once we requested him, he didn’t need something. He wished all the youngsters on his ground… [he wanted] to maintain all the youngsters,” stated an emotional Timothy Kenney, Grayson’s granduncle.
Grayson’s Christmas want is now coming to life on the Kenneys’ home in Orrington.
Timothy Kenney, a long-time firefighter, put out the plea on Fb. A whole lot have shared Grayson’s request, with presents coming in from as far-off as Northern Maine and Massachusetts.
“Clearly we’re going through onerous instances with heating oil. The economic system is so powerful. However what we’ve obtained for generosity tells me that individuals throughout New England have opened their hearts and their pocketbooks to maintain this little boy,” stated Kenney.
On Tuesday morning, Kenney and different relations will head all the way down to Barbara Bush Youngsters’s Hospital in Portland in a makeshift sleigh, bringing toys and vacation cheer forward of Grayson’s surgical procedure.
Even after the process, the street to restoration stretches out far forward of him.
“He’s going to must go to dialysis. His dad and mom are going to must journey from Winterport, Maine to Portland each different day to offer them dialysis as a result of there’s not a physician on this space that may maintain him,” stated Kenney.
However for now, the hope for a life free from ache — and the anticipation of a bit of Christmas magic — is holding Grayson going.
“We despatched him a textual content with among the footage after they first got here in, and his face jogged my memory of getting away from bed within the morning and seeing the presents underneath the Christmas tree. He was so excited realizing that the youngsters on his unit are going to be taken care of,” stated Kenney.
The household is not in search of presents, nevertheless they’re accepting monetary assist to assist them with journey prices.
You may donate by way of Venmo to Kenney (@burner3665) or Kyle, Grayson’s stepdad (@kyle_moore09).
For those who’d prefer to comply with Grayson’s journey on Fb, you are able to do so on this web page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/693513618444461/
You’ll find the shape to enroll to be a possible kidney donor right here: https://mmc.donorscreen.org/register/now. You simply want Grayson’s full title (Grayson Witham) and birthday (9-24-17).
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