Martha Hernandez has been bringing her son to the annual Flight to the North Pole event for years. Her son, Jesus, has thyroid cancer that has spread to his lungs.
“We’ve been battling it for about 13, 14 years,” Martha Hernandez said.
Now 22, Jesus Hernandez came to the event with his mother and his two daughters, Isabella and Angelita.
“It feels nice, they can enjoy with him, have a nice day with him,” Martha Hernandez said.
More than 300 families who have seriously ill children or children with disabilities stepped into a magical Christmas wonderland filled with music, food, snow and of course – Santa arrived in a monster truck instead of a sleigh.
“It’s really good to have Santa here and for them to experience that because they really have a lot of things to worry about throughout the year,” Manatee County Sheriff Rick Wells said.
Kids lined up outside when it was time for Santa to arrive … and he did so in the Grave Digger monster truck.
“We’ll see a lot of these families every year, but unfortunately, some families we don’t see again, and that’s really where we’re touched to want to continue to do this and to help them have just a special time while we’re here,” Wells said.
Like many parents at the event, Hernandez has one wish for Christmas.
“His health,” said Marth Hernandez. “He’s in good condition right now but that things would get better instead of worse.”
