The family of a little boy with a terminal illness praised 'Santa' for making a visit to the toddler.
Two-year-old Miles Agnew has microcephaly, spastic quad cerebral palsy, and also has cortical vision impairment, intractable epilepsy, brain malformations and a feeding intolerance. He was adopted when he was just three months old, and has sadly spent the last few months in a hospice where he can be properly cared for.
His mum, Michelle, told ABC News that last week his condition suddenly worsened; she said: "His little body went into shock and has started to shut down. We don't know what happened."
So, the Secret Sleigh Project stepped in and arranged for Santa to come and pay the little boy a visit.
Miles and his siblings Hailey, 13 and 11-year-old Taveon were visited by 'Santa Jeff' - aka Jeff Bodily - by the organisation which arranges Christmas visits for children who are house-bound or terminally ill.
Jeff told ABC News that this visit was particularly tough: "Back in the 70s when I met my former wife, she had two daughters, her youngest had been diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, and six weeks after we met, she lost her battle, so I knew what the family was going through. I can't lie, I got choked up, and there was a tear in Santa's eye, but this was for this family's memory."
Credit: ABC News/Michelle Agnew
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The heart-warming image of Miles and Santa was posted on the Secret Sleigh Project Facebook page and has received dozens of comments heaping praise on 'Santa' and the charity as well as posting well-wishes to the family.
The founder of the Secret Sleigh Project, Sarah Portillo, told the news outlet that the visits added more meaning to Christmas.
She said: "It elevated my hope that perhaps we are all here to orchestrate small miracles, as long as we are open to the opportunity. I am very grateful that we were able to be a part of this family's day, in some small way, and I will never forget it."
The Agnews, who have previously lost two children to genetic conditions, said they don't take anything for granted.
Michelle said: "We are so fortunate for all the good times we've shared together and are so grateful for the friends, family and medical community that have supported us. Miles is such a special little boy who is very, very loved in our family."
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Source: The Secret Sleigh Project; ABC News