Make a wish come true this Christmas

Despite his enthusiastic grin, Ari's parents knew something was wrong with their son at just one year of age. Unable to meet the typical milestones of crawling, standing, or walking, Ari's parents, Brita and Zy took Ari to the hospital for some tests.

But before any testing took place, Brita and Zy were told that Ari displayed all the signs of spinal muscular atrophy. Five weeks later, they were told that Ari had an additional condition called congenital muscular dystrophy, which meant living his life in a wheelchair.

From non-stop high-speed adventures, to going up in a helicopter, to having epic snowball fights, Ari and his family experienced true heights of happiness at Mt Hotham.

“We had an incredible time. No one in the family had been up in a helicopter before, so that was special. And there was no shortage of thrills. He tore down the slopes in his ‘sit ski’, shrieking and whooping – he was even doing jumps!" says Brita.

Children with a critical illness miss out on so much of their childhood. Spending endless hours in hospital, facing countless barriers, they go without so many thrills and smiles. But with your help, we can bring back grins and giggles with the gift of a wish this Christmas.