Mall Santa Grants the Wish of 8-Year-Old Boy Who Begged to Get Help for His Military Dad – Story of the Day

After serving in the military, Abe came back home as an amputee. His son, Peter, yearned dearly to see his father walk again. After a miraculous encounter with a mall Santa, Peter's wish finally came true.

Peter loved his father, Abe, dearly. They had always shared a strong bond, even before Abe left to serve in the military. After coming back with an amputated leg, Abe and his wife's relationship became strained. However, they fought through their struggles and found a way to rebuild their family.

Raising Peter as an amputee was not easy on Abe, but he and his wife did their best. Abe and his wife even sacrificed money saved up for a prosthetic leg to ensure their child could stay in school. Abe always thought he would one day be able to get it, but as time passed and finances failed to increase, the possibility seemed bleak.

Abe profoundly wanted to walk again. He treasured his time with Peter, and they often played together before he lost his leg. But now it was impossible, and it grieved him to his heart. Peter longed to play with his father like they used to as well. Abe would say grace at every meal, and Peter would often add his little prayer at the end.

"Also, Lord, please also fix daddy's leg. It has been a while since we have played together," Peter would pray, often leaving Abe more sorrowful than encouraged.

Abe eventually gave up on getting it all together, deciding he would make do with the cards he was dealt. On the other hand, Peter still longed to see his father walk again. He knew how much his condition frustrated his parents and wanted to see them happy. Most of all, he just wanted to be able to play with his father again.

One Christmas, Peter saw Santa at the mall and figured, "This is my opportunity! If anyone can help, it's Santa." Peter went home that day and decided to write to Santa, explaining his father's situation.

The next day he came back to the mall ready with his note. He had even managed to get his father's contact details and address to ensure there was no possibility of any mishaps.

"Hi there, little man. What can Santa do for you today?" Santa asked.

"It's a letter from a little boy to Santa... to you. His dad lost his leg serving in the army, and he is asking for help."

"Hi, Santa! My dad lost his leg in a war, and I would like you to get him a new one for Christmas so we can play together again. I have written everything down in this letter, so you know exactly where to send it," Peter explained, carefully slipping the letter into his breast pocket.

"Oh, wow! That sounds like quite the story, little man," Santa replied.

Peter left feeling hopeful and confident that his father's situation would soon change. Meanwhile, Santa, whose real name was Gabriel, instantly forgot about the encounter.

The next day as Gabriel's wife, Tanya, was doing his laundry, she came across Peter's note. She was moved by the boy's request and the story of his father losing his leg.

"Gabriel!" Tanya called, approaching Gabriel with the note in hand.

"Yes, love. What is that?" Gabriel asked, confused.

"It's a letter from a little boy to Santa... to you. His dad lost his leg serving in the army, and he is asking for help," Tanya explained.

"A letter? Let me read it," Gabriel said, taking the letter and giving it a read. His eyes welled up a bit more with each sentence. "I think I remember this boy. It was a busy day, and I was honestly so exhausted, I barely paid him any mind," Gabriel concluded.

"It's not that complicated, silly. We don't have to know them, Gabriel. We just have to try to help them."

"Well, it seems like he and his father could really use some help," Tanya said.

"Yeah, I know. Tanya, you know I'd love to, but a good prosthesis doesn't come cheap. We can't help them, not with what we are currently making," Gabriel responded.

"Gabriel?" Tanya remarked, completely bewildered.

"What, Tanya? You know I'm right," Gabriel proclaimed with a shrug.

"That is not the man I married. The man I married decided to put his ambitions to the side every Christmas so he could help put a smile on children's faces," Tanya said.

"I know, Tanya. But that decision hasn't helped us financially. We simply don't have the money. I really would like to help, my love. But we can't," Gabriel explained.

"You're right. We don't have the money, but I know a couple of good-hearted people like yourself who would love to pitch in," Tanya said.

"O—Okay... What exactly are you getting at? Crowdfunding? We don't even know these people," Gabriel retorted.

"It's not that complicated, silly. We don't have to know them, Gabriel. We just have to try to help them," Tanya concluded.

So Gabriel and Tanya decided to open a collection to help Peter and his father. They set up collections at their church and at work.

They also set up a crowdfunding profile but limited the details about Peter and his family, providing only the sweet letter from Peter to Santa as encouragement for donations.

The first few months were barely fruitful. But as time progressed, to Tanya and Gabriel's amazement, donations began to flood in. By the time the following Christmas came, Tanya and Gabriel were able to purchase Abe a state-of-the-art prosthetic leg.

One day, Peter and his parents were having Christmas lunch. By this point, Peter had stopped chiming in with his own prayer as he so often did. He saw the frustration it brought his father and began to think he was doing more harm than good. So, he started praying in private.

"Who are all these people? What is happening? Was Peter a part of this?"

"Lord, thank you for the food we are about to eat. Please bless the hands that made it and be with those not as fortunate, aiding them as you have us. Amen," Abe concluded. Then, without warning, for the first time in a while, Peter chimed in:

"Lord, please also help us with dad's leg. It's been a while now, and we are still waiting for you to help us. Amen," Peter added.

Abe and his wife looked at Peter, puzzled. Just then, the doorbell rang. Peter instantly stood up, running to answer the door and leaving his parents still muddled.

"Dad!" Peter called from the door.

Abe's wife helped him get his crutches, and they made their way to the door. "O Holy Night" began to sound as Abe and his wife walked through the passage.

"O holy night the stars are brightly shining," the carolers sang.

The closer they got to the door, the louder they sounded, their anticipation growing with every passing second. The scene that awaited them left them both utterly stunned.

As they looked to the door, they saw Peter with the most enormous smile as he held the door open for Gabriel and Tanya, who had a wrapped brand new state-of-the-art prosthetic leg. Behind them, a pool of people with smiles just as warm as Peters, singing in perfect synchronization.

Abe couldn't fathom what he was seeing. "Who are all these people? What is happening? Was Peter a part of this?" Abe thought as tears began to stream down his cheeks.

"Hi, Abe. I work as a mall Santa on the holidays, and last year your little one, Peter, came to me with a request, explaining your situation. I had no clue how we could help but my wife, Tanya, was able to round up all these good people to pitch together and get you a new leg. Merry Christmas!" Gabriel concluded.

Abe and his wife were utterly lost for words. Abe instantly grabbed his son and embraced him. At that exact moment, the crowd of people outside began to applaud the family. It was a momentous occasion, and Peter's faith was to thank for it all.

Everyone joined them for Christmas lunch that day. It was a tight fit, but their joy was abundant. Abe was grateful for this community of strangers who had decided to band together to help him. But he was even more grateful for his son, who never lost faith.

What can we learn from this story?

• We do some miracles ourselves if we put the effort in. While Gabriel didn't see a way for them to help Peter's father, Tanya's insistence on searching for a solution brought Peter and his family the miracle they had long been waiting for.
• Keep your faith alive. You never know when God will answer. Peter's persistence in prayer and Tanya's unyielding belief that a solution could be found led to a monumental miracle for Peter and his family. In both cases, their faith was essential to the eventual breakthrough.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a man who had given up on humanity after his daughter got sick, but soon changed his tune after a surprising visit to the clinic by one of his colleagues.

This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone's life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.