8-year-old Luke Bedford doesn’t want any toys for Christmas. How many 8-year-olds do you know that would say That? I’m sure not very many.
Instead of presents, Luke just wants people to donate money to help out his best friend and that best friend is Thomas Forbes, and Thomas’ 6-year-old cousin, Orla, has brain cancer.
So Luke sent a letter to Santa, and it read: ‘Dear Mrs Claus and Mr Claus, aka Santa. Please may you give it to Keech Hospice and the Sick Children’s Trust because I have a friend Thomas who has a cousin who is currently suffering from cancer and I want my friend to have a cousin and other people. ‘Please, please, please give me no presents for Christmas, love Luke.’
And even though Luke had never met the young girl, he wanted all that could to go to her.
Says Luke: ‘She’s very poorly. I don’t really know what it is, but I know it’s very bad. I don’t want any presents I want Santa to help and so the charity can help Orla and other people, and my friend can have a cousin.’
When Orla was only 9 months old, she vomited frequently, then she started having seizures. Doctors then discovered a large tumor on her brain. She started chemotherapy, and there were times she almost died. A fundraising page was created to collect donations for Orla and her family, and Luke often asks how the donations are going.
Says Orla’s mom, Susan: ‘Luke is such an incredibly selfless boy. If he can do this at just eight, what’s he going to be capable of as an adult? He shows other children that great things can happen if you’re good.’
