Four young children have been gifted a magical Christmas trip to Lapland after undergoing gruelling months of treatment.
Harris Kitson, 6, Katie Paterson, 8, Kara McInally, 8, and Annabelle Main, 3, have each been fighting their own health battles but were able to find some joy this Christmas in the magical trip, organised by the Les Hoey MBE DreamMaker Foundation.
The youngsters and their families travelled to Lapland UK in Ascot to meet Santa and his reindeer on Thursday (December 22). They went ice skating, explored the magical forest and made their Christmas gift wishes to an elf, the Daily Record reports.
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Eight-year-old Kara from Motherwell was diagnosed with brain cancer in December 2021 and mum Laura McInally said the opportunity to make precious memories this Christmas was priceless.
"To be here after what we have been through is amazing," she said. "For Kara to have this opportunity is amazing. If we've learned anything over the last years it's how important memories are. Regardless of these children's diagnoses, they are still kids at the end of the day and deserve to be happy and have fun."
Harris, from Pollock, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia in January this year and must undergo chemotherapy every day for the next three years.
Mum Lisa, 33, said: "I took Harris to A&E because of heavy bleeding and within five hours they diagnosed him with Leukaemia. We were not prepared at all. He's had eights months of intense treatment and will now have to take a chemotherapy tablet everyday until 2025.
"Being at Lapland with him after such a tough year is amazing. It was an unforgettable magical experience we can cherish forever.”
For little Annabelle, who was born with half a heart and has undergone two major surgeries in her short life, the chance to visit Lapland was a dream come true.
Christine, from Law, said: "To see the magic and excitement in Annabelle's eyes as we explored Lapland UK was amazing and unmatched to any other! It's something we are truly thankful to the Les Hoey dreamaker foundation for making possible!”
"To be able to do this as a family is so special for us. We don't know what the future holds so making memories is really all we can do. We are so grateful to be here."
Katie, from from Airdrie, was diagnosed with Medulloblastoma, a brain tumour in her central nerve system in December 2020. After several rounds of chemotherapy and two major surgeries, she has now finished treatment and is currently only receiving maintenance scans.
Mum Elaine, 40, said: "With this type of cancer they can't call it remission until scans are clear for five years. We go every three months and just hope and pray it will be good news.
"The last two Christmases have been either spent in hospital or recovering from chemo so it was so nice to see Katie experience genuine joy, happiness and excitement with this amazing group of people. We are so thankful to the charity for inviting us along. Memories to last a lifetime.”
The Les Hoey MBE DreamMaker Foundation helps children and their siblings going through gruelling treatments to meet their idols and make magical memories.
Angela Cook, Dream Manager said: "After such a hard few years for everyone, the DreamMaker Team wanted to do something magical to finish our eighth year as a charity.
"Laura our Dream Assistant had a fantastic idea to visit Lapland UK and she has been working on making the trip a magical experience for our wee DreamMakers for the past six months.
"To see the joy on their wee faces and the kids having fun is priceless and makes everything worthwhile.
"We are a small charity and are so grateful to everyone who supports us whether it be donating money, toys, coming to our events or being a volunteer. We wish everyone a happy and healthy festive season."
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