Three year old Mia Mason was diagnosed with Congenital nephrotic syndrome, kidney disease, when she was born and has already had to go through a lot in her short life, including a kidney transplant just before Christmas last year. This meant she missed out on Christmas at home, which was a real disappointment as Mia loves Santa and all things festive. So this year, Mia had a special Christmas wish granted when she was transported to a snowy winter wonderland in Lapland by Make-A-Wish® UK!
Upon arrival in Lapland, Mia and her family were kitted out in thermal clothing before settling down for the evening, ready for the next few days of festive fun. They were treated to a husky ride, met some of the reindeer and elves, rode skidoos and got to look around Santa’s Workshop, before setting off through the winter wonderland in search of Father Christmas himself!
Mia’s mum Sammi said:
The wish has meant a lot to the whole family. We haven’t been able to have a weekend away before because of Mia’s condition, so it was wonderful for us to be able to get on a plane and create such special memories together.
From the day she was born to her eventual kidney transplant, Mia was never out of hospital for more than two days. Her kidneys failed completely when she was 2 years old, but she was lucky and a matching donor was found in November 2014. The transplant went well but she will be on lifelong immune suppressants to make sure her body does not reject the kidney.
Sammi continued:
The wish has given Mia the chance to do something normal, that she wouldn’t usually be able to do, which is fantastic. She was so excited in the run up to the wish and just loved every minute of the experience.
There are currently 20,000 children and young people in the UK fighting a life-threatening condition and over 1,000 of them will turn to Make-A-Wish this year. We want to grant a wish to every eligible child, but can’t do that without the generosity of the public. Make-A-Wish receives no government funding – so every donation really does count.
To make a donation or refer a child to Make-A-Wish please visit our website here: www.make-a-wish.org.uk or telephone 01276 40 50 70.
