6-Year-Old Waiting for Transplant Celebrates Special Christmas

While most 6-year-olds ask Santa for toys for Christmas, Weston Keeton just wanted his family.

Santa delivered a day early. 

Weston, from Eastern Tennessee, has spent the last 18 months at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia away from his father and six siblings.

"Weston has primary pulmonary hypertension where he just cannot get oxygen to his lungs" said his mother Julie. 

The little boy is waiting for a rare heart and double lung transplant. His heart has stopped 11 times. He's had three open heart surgeries. He uses an oxygen tank to breathe.

"We honestly thought we would take an empty car seat back to Tennessee we never thought he would make it" said his mother.

That was a year ago.

Today, there wasn't a doctor or nurse in sight.  Weston for a short time wasn't a patient, he was just a kid.

The Philadelphia Firefighters Union Local 22 treated the Keeton family to a Christmas they'll never forget. A visit from Santa, plenty of gifts and a up close tour of fire trucks.

"It was all about them. And that's what fireman do on a daily basis that's why guys take the job to help other people and makes us feel good" said Mike Bresnan of Local 22.

The family truly believes Weston would not be alive today without the doctors and nurses at CHOP.

"Our family has gotten to be together it's a miracle. Every day he is out of the hospital renews our faith that Christmas miracles do happen and this is it"aid Julie Keeton.

Weston will remain in Philadelphia while waiting on that transplant. Meanwhile his father and siblings will be heading back to Tennessee after Christmas.