Toddler in hospice care sits on Santa’s lap one last time

Miles Agnew was born with microcephaly, a condition in which newborns’ heads are smaller than normal. These children often also have smaller brains that have not developed properly. He also suffers from a number of other health problems, including spastic quad cerebral palsy, cortical vision impairment, intractable epilepsy, brain malformations and feeding intolerance.

Miles was adopted by the Agnew family at three months old. The now two-year-old has been in hospice care for months, and his condition has been declining steadily.

Last week,”his little body went into shock and has started to shut down. We don’t know what happened,” his mother, Michelle Agnew, told ABC News.

On Dec. 5, Miles and his siblings, Hailey, 13, and Taveon, 11, got a surprise visitor at Primary Children’s Hospital where Miles is being treated. Coordinated by the Secret Sleigh Project, an organization that sets up Santa visits for sick and home-bound children, Miles and his family were paid a visit by Santa Claus himself.

Jerry Bodily, who played the part of Santa, says that the experience moved him to tears.

“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,” he said.

For her part, Agnew says her family was incredibly grateful for the special visit and that they “do not take anything for granted.”

“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,” she said.

We’re so glad that this family got the chance to make one last beautiful memory with Santa.

[h/t ABC News]