This December, Mainely Tubs was pleased to partner with Make-A-Wish Maine for our third hot tub donation.

This year’s recipient, Santi, is 5 years old and recently moved from Florida to Maine to avoid the hot temperatures that exacerbate his seizures. Santi has leukodystrophy which affects his central nervous system and damages the white matter in his brain. In short, any gains Santi made as a toddler slip away each day, including his ability to walk, hold his head up, see and speak. This diagnosis also causes a lot of pain and uncontrolled seizures. Santi has 24/7 nursing care in addition to endless love and care from his mom and dad.

Santi’s parents landed on a hot tub wish for him because he loves the water and needs it to be very warm since he cannot control his own body temperature. Additionally, the hot tub serves as a great therapy tool for Santi as it allows his tight muscles to relax after a seizure.

On Wish Day, Santi, his brother, parents, and nurse came out of the house to a small group of people who quietly expressed “Happy Wish Day Santi” to not startle Santi. Unfortunately, between the cold temps and unfamiliar voices he began to cry. We waited as mom and dad comforted him. It wasn’t clear at this point if Santi would be able to go in the hot tub, but mom and dad assured us that was just what he needed in that moment. Turns out they were right! Dad held Santi and slowly dipped him into the warm water. We watched his tears turn to coos and smiles. Mom explained cooing is Santi’s greatest sign of happiness.

A special thanks also to BSP Electric and Vertex Construction for helping Make-A-Wish pull things together very quickly before it was too cold.

It was truly a heartwarming experience to see firsthand how much good this hot tub is going to do for this young boy.  Thank you to the Make-A-Wish team for allowing us to be a part of such a special day in this family’s life!