The letter reached the local fire department and though they couldn't help his mom with a heart, they gave him a bunch of gifts to spread the holiday cheer.
Children have abundant kindness and limitless love in their hearts. A little boy set an example for all of us when he wrote a tear-jerking letter to Santa, asking for a new heart for his mom, instead of requesting anything for himself.
Arnulfo Guerra Jr., who was 12 years old in 2016, wrote a letter to plead with Santa to give his mom a healthy new heart to let her live. When it reached the Channelview Fire Department in Channelview, Texas, first responders, were moved to tears. So, they decided to surprise the boy with a new bicycle and some toys from the community toy drive.
"It was pretty heartwarming," said Justin Wischnewsky, the captain of the Fire Department told ABC News. "All he wanted for Christmas was for his mom to be okay. It's gut-wrenching ... there are good kids out there. We said, 'There's not a whole lot we can do, but let's try and make this the best Christmas ever for him."
Apparently, the letter was passed along from his school, Anthony Aguirre Junior High, Wischnewsky revealed.
12-Year-Old Asks Santa for New Heart for Mom in Touching Letter https://t.co/gkGqObgcuq via @GMA
— Bill Goldberg (@Goldberg) December 21, 2016
The letter read, "Dear Santa, I believe in you and the miracles, Santa I don't want toys for me, only I want a [healthy] heart for my mom, she's sick, her diagnostic is transposition of the great [arteries] (T.G.A). I'm sad for her she's 46 years and I only 12, next March 18 I will be 13 teen, we need her for many years more, me and my Dad pray all days for mom. Only I want is to see my mom [healthy] and happy. Thanks Santa, Love you!!"
When asked if he didn't want anything else, he said he didn't. All he wanted was his mom to be healthy. "That's the only thing I want for Christmas," Arnulfo Jr.
Katya Garza, a paramedic, told ABC News: "For him to completely to be selfless and not ask for anything else other than his mom to be healthy for Christmas. You know, it really put us back."
Arnulfo Guerra Sr., the kind boy's father, said that his wife Santos had a heart defect. She was on the transplant list, waiting for a donor in Houston. At the time, she had been on the list for a year, but doctors had informed them they would have to wait for up to five years.
Meanwhile, the father added that though they're holding onto hope, this kind gesture from the fire department cheered them all up. Guerra Sr. said the fire department made his son feel "so special" and that his letter made him "very happy."
"My wife is very happy," he added. "We’re all very happy."
It surely takes a huge heart to sacrifice one's own needs and replace them with someone else's.
References:
https://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/12-year-asks-santa-heart-mom-heartfelt-letter/story?id=44279833
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uK_LzJGzxG0
Cover Image Source (Representative): Getty Images | Cavan Images
