The best Christmas gift he could ask for. A mall Santa in Statham, Georgia, granted Kyle Daniel — a dad grieving the loss of his infant son, who died of a congenital heart defect last year — a sweet Christmas wish he could give to his wife, Sasha.
“On December 19, 2014, Hayden passed away in my arms,” Kyle told TODAY Parents. “His lungs had become weak and just stopped working. He was just a few days away from being 6 months old.”
Daniel went to his local mall on Wednesday, December 9, with a picture of Hayden and approached Caleb Sigmon — a 22-year-old theater artist who was playing Santa — with his story.
“I walked up to Santa and said, ‘I have a request, my son passed away last year.’ I started to get choked up. He reached out for Hayden’s picture and said, ‘Absolutely,’” Daniel recalled. Sigmon then posed for a photo, holding the picture of Hayden.
Shortly after, Sigmon took to his Facebook to share the bittersweet moment, along with the touching photo. The post quickly went viral.
“He handed me the frame and I placed it on my knee,” he shared of meeting Daniel. “In the photo, I could see on the little boy’s armband that his first name was Hayden. I didn’t ask any questions, but I’m guessing that this is his first photo with Santa. We gave him the printed package, telling him that it was a gift and that we would be praying for his family this Christmas. He grabbed my hand and pulled me in and hugged me, then left.”
He also added, “Pray for the brokenhearted. Smile at people. Just be kind. Love one another.”
Daniel and his wife, who is currently pregnant with their second child, both expressed their gratitude toward Sigmon.
“I think it has touched so many people because of what Sigmon did,” Kyle said. “It was an act of kindness — more people need to be kind to each other.”
