After 2 Years In Hospital, Infant Scheduled To Make 1st Visit Home

CHICAGO (CBS) – Alex Hilton is just two years old, and he's never spent Christmas outside of the hospital.

Each day, a blood disorder forces him to fight for his life.

When Alex was just six weeks old, he was diagnosed with a disease that attacks his organs.

"When doctors approached me and told me that it's worse than cancer, I said what could be worse than cancer?" Alex's mother, Myriam Lallemand, tells CBS 2's Pamela Jones.

Alex's body sheds sheets of skin that must be scraped away for him to survive. He has constant high fevers, and his body is too weak to fight off any germs.

So, coming home was impossible until Alex's godfather found the website Angie's List and its Wishmakers project.

Through Angie's List, Mike McLaughlin's company purchased and installed an air filtration and purifying system for free.

Friday, Alex's family was cleaning what they can to prepare. Their little one will only be able to stay home for 48 hours, but to his family, it's the best Christmas gift they could get.

"I've always wanted a son. And he's broken my heart. But he's going to be the only man to fix it. So I look forward to having Alex home," Lallemand says.

A couple of Chicago contractors pitched in with $3,600 in equipment to make this visit safe. Alex's dad will drive to Chicago from Cincinnati starting at midnight.

They hoped to be home by midday Saturday.

For more information about Alex, click here.