Terminal, quadriplegic boy wishes for nothing more than Christmas cards

Terminal, quadriplegic boy wishes for nothing more than Christmas cards

(Sarunyu Foto, Shutterstock)


Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

EVENDALE, Ohio — If you find yourself with an extra Christmas card this year, a little boy in Ohio would love to find it in his mailbox.

When he was 15 months old, Andrew Little contracted a neurological disorder called transverse myelitis. Paralyzed from the neck down, Andrew breathes with a ventilator and receives full-time care at the special facility where he lives, according to Today.

While his condition is terminal, the second-grader is determined to live his life to the fullest, Andrew’s grandmother told Today.

“He never feels sorry for himself,” said Alyson Little, who has been Andrew’s guardian since his mother was killed in an accident in 2012. “He doesn’t even realize that he has challenges.”

Even with his upbeat attitude, things can be a little rough at times, Little said. Even though he attends public school, Andrew is significantly limited in his ability to interact with friends. So every year during the holiday season, Andrew looks forward to one thing above all else — receiving Christmas cards.

“He’s very limited to access to the outside world, so the Christmas cards is his way to connect with the world,” Little told Fox19 News.

Every time Little visits her grandson, he asks her if she has any cards for him. He remembers every card he’s ever received and likes to share them with other patients at his care facility, Little told Today.

“Letting him read old cards, showing him old pictures, it brightens his day,” Little told Today. “There’s not even words to explain how much he enjoys it.”

Last year, Andrew received just four cards. This year, Little is hoping he’ll have so many, he won’t know what to do with them all. She reached out to friends with a goal to make her little boy’s Christmas wish come true.

“That's all, just two minutes of someone's time, to know that someone is thinking about him, someone cares enough to send it," Little told Fox19.

Word quickly spread throughout the community, and firefighters from the local fire department showed up with a giant card in tow.

“The fireman came to see me and I am not even sick,” Andrew — who usually only sees firemen when he’s being rushed to the hospital — told Today.

Andrew’s simple, heartwarming request reflects the type of person he is, according to his grandmother.

“He just has this internal fight in him where he doesn’t want to give up,” Little told Today. “I don’t know where his strength come from. I can’t give him back all the things he lost. I just try to make 100 percent sure that each day he has left on Earth is full to the max.”

If you’d like to send Andrew a Christmas card, you can mail it to Andrew Little at: 4181 Weathered Oaks Lane, Hamilton, Ohio 45011.

Most recent Uplifting stories

Related topics

Uplifting

STAY IN THE KNOW

Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

KSL Weather Forecast