Kids with cancer get holiday wishes granted at Nicklaus Children's Hospital
MIAMI — In March 2023, Genesis was diagnosed with a tumor.
"Our daily lives are based around her, or the kids that are sick," Mom Aylina Mejia said, "and sometimes, we forget that we have a life and we just focus on them."
Sunday, however, it's only smiles because not only are they celebrating the recent news that Genesis is responding to treatment, but she and 60 other kids battling cancer and their siblings are getting their holiday wishes granted.
"This event in particular, we try to make sure that every kid gets what they asked for," Ryan Esko said. "Their siblings as well. So the children make a wish list of the gifts they really want."
Esko is the founder of the charity Jjuntos Regalando Sonrisas, making Sunday's event possible.
"The whole family really gets impacted when the children are going through this difficult time of cancer treatments, and we didn't want the other children to feel left out," he said.
It was an afternoon filled with gifts, photos with Santa, hugs with the service dog Apollo, and holiday activities.
"It's very important for us to be around and for them to be happy and forget that they're sick, they're getting needles, they're getting all of that, and just be happy," Mejia said.
This is the 11th year that the organization has partnered with Nicklaus Children's Hospital to bring that holiday cheer to the children.