Santa came a day early for a special group of Kansas City families, delivering a Christmas they are sure to never forget.
Run by 'Parenting Children With Special Needs,’ the ‘Santa’s Miracles’ program visited 13 families across the KC metro on Saturday. All of them have a child with a chronic or terminal medical condition.
"Christmas has taken the back burner. We got news that we weren't expecting, so this is really awesome,” said Destiny Schrivener.
Schrivener and her husband, Nick, have three daughters. Their youngest, Emerson, just seven months old, was recently diagnosed with Niemann Pick Type C, a rare and fatal genetic disorder.
Add the barrage of medical bills and many families who deal with such debilitating diseases often have to push Christmas aside.
"We have a lot of unknowns ahead of us,” said Schrivener.
It’s families like Schrivener's who Stephanie Myers actively seeks out each Christmas.
Myers started her non-profit and the Santa’s Miracles program six years ago after a family helped her with Christmas when her son, Brayden was hospitalized with chronic medical conditions. She’s been paying it forward ever since.
"When you walk into that house and you see those kids light up and the magic that happens on their faces, it's priceless,” said Myers. "You never know what the future is going to hold for some of these kiddos and when you walk out and you just know you tried to give them the absolute best Christmas that they could ever have, that is magic and that's a miracle."
Santa may be a crucial part of the delivery process, but ‘Santa’s Miracles’ is also made possible through an incredible amount of generous donations from the community. Not only do children of each family receive a small mountain of Christmas gifts, but even parents and grandparents receive needed gifts such as furniture and coffee makers.
“You know the challenges they are facing, not only today, but the future they may have. And you can make their Christmas this magical? It's something you just don't remember for that day but for the rest of your life,” said Myers. "What would Jesus do? This is what Jesus would do."
What also makes each visit special is the instant-connection Myers is able to make with each family. Given her own son has a chronic illness, the ability to relate during such a difficult time only adds Myers’ mission.
"That's the best thing about what we do, is you never have to walk this road alone,” said Myers.
Also visited on Saturday were the Fields family.
"I don't think they've even seen this many presents in their whole life,” said Sarah Fields.
The mother of four has a set of triplets (Anna, Ayva and Justin) who were born with cerebral palsy. Saturday was the first time they were able to visit with Santa.
"We didn’t' expect all of this. My goodness,” said Fields.
And an overwhelmed Schrivener said the same thing.
"I honestly didn't know what to expect. So this is way more than I could even imagine,” she said.
Santa told 41 Action News that the entire program is straight from the heart.
"The smiles on these children’s' faces is what it's all about,” said Saint Nick.
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Josh Helmuth can be reached at josh.helmuth@kshb.com
