Cleveland, Ohio (WJW) -- A resilient little boy gets a big surprise right in his own backyard.
Kyle and Lisa Scanlon carried their little boy, 3-year-old Hayden, outside to a crowd of their family and friends. The big gift matched the big smile on the little boy’s face as he realized he had a brand-new playset to call his own.
A Special Wish Cleveland Chapter and Anytime Fitness in Concord Township made it all possible, granting this wish of a little boy who has been through a lot.
Hayden suffers from a severe form of epilepsy called Dravet Syndrome and has spent much of his little life in and out of the hospital.
“He suffers from seizures that can last up to three hours and it is a life-threatening seizure disorder that he has been battling since he was 4 months old," said his mother, Lisa.
Friends and loved ones cheered and clapped as Hayden tried out his new toy.
The Scanlons got involved with A Special Wish through University Hospitals. Hayden’s doctor felt that with his condition and everything he had been through, he was deserving of a big wish.
A Special Wish Cleveland Chapter granted the wish and Anytime Fitness in Concord Township helped with the funds to do so.
The gym holds a fundraiser called 24 in 24, where members run 1 mile every hour for 24 consecutive hours. It's all to raise money to help children in Lake County with life-threatening illnesses. The gym then gave all the money raised to A Special Wish.
Hayden’s mother says the severity of his seizures has led to brain damage and now Hayden is nonverbal. One thing that he loves to do though is play on playsets and his parents knew right away that would be the perfect wish.
“Anytime he sees a slide that’s where he wants to be. We asked him what he wanted, and he pointed at a slide and we knew that was going to be his wish," said Lisa.
A wish granted not just for a brave little boy, but his parents too. As his mom puts it: “It's such a joy for us anytime to see him smiling and not in a hospital and enjoying himself; it's really a blessing.”
