A nine-year-old Nottinghamshire boy who has a congenital heart condition used a Christmas wish to give presents to sick children in hospital. Oliver Tate, of Cotgrave, is set to have open heart surgery in the new year - the third time he will have had a major operation.
Ahead of this, for Christmas the Make-A-Wish Foundation gave him the chance to ask for anything he wanted. What Oliver answered with shocked both his parents, Michaela and Ian, and the charity.
The selfless youngster said he wanted to help poorly kids at hospital and homeless people. Explaining why he chose to make such a wish, Oliver told Nottinghamshire Live: "I wanted to do it because some kids are in hospital and can't come out until after Christmas.
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"I wanted to do something for other people. It made me feel good, it made me feel like I made everybody's Christmas."
Mum, Michaela said she was blown away. "You think 'are you sure? do you really want that to be your wish?' and he said yes," said the 32-year-old teaching assistant. "We were unbelievably proud. Make-A-Wish asked if he was sure too."
She said her son had a "broken heart but a golden heart". Michaela continued: "As a family we talk about being grateful for a lot of things. We can't walk down the street without him asking if we can buy someone a meal. He's so caring. We say he has got a broken heart but he's got a golden heart."
On Thursday, December 22, Oliver got his wish and was taken with his friends to Smyths Toy Store via a limousine, where he picked two huge bags of gifts for the children at Leicester Royal Infirmary.
They also donate hats, scarves and blankets for the homeless at the Salvation Army. Oliver was just days old when he was diagnosed with a malformed mitral valve - a small flap in the heart which stops blood from flowing the wrong way.
After his condition worsened at 16 months, he had to have two operations in 36 hours. His heart was fitted with a mechanical value to help it function, and now needs to be replaced.
"He gets breathless at normal movements, like when he comes downstairs," explained Michaela. "He can't run around with his friends, he just wants to be normal like everyone else."
She said the operation, which is expected to take place in January, had potential risks, such as a stroke or blood clots. But she said Oliver and the family would "give it all we've got".
Oliver didn't end up empty-handed from his wish, however, ending up with a PS5 and a trip to Broadway Cinema, where he and his friends were able to enjoy a private screening of one of his favourite films, Lyle Lyle Crocodile.
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