Sending Christmas goodwill to Layton

Christmas cards often sit unnoticed on the mantelpiece but for one Golborne lad every one of the hundreds he received has special meaning.
By The Newsroom
Published 24th Dec 2016, 08:00 BST
Updated 29th Dec 2016, 14:11 BST
Layton Robinson from Golborne, who is terminally ill, has been sent loads of Christmas cards, some from kind strangersLayton Robinson from Golborne, who is terminally ill, has been sent loads of Christmas cards, some from kind strangers
Layton Robinson from Golborne, who is terminally ill, has been sent loads of Christmas cards, some from kind strangers

Because when Layton Robinson-Bancroft’s family launched an appeal last year asking for as many people as possible to send cards to the 10-year-old as they feared it would be his last Christmas.

Today Layton, who has who has mitochondrial disease, is doing well but his kind-hearted supporters still wanted to make sure he knew they thinking about him.

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His mum Stacey Burtonwood, of Golborne, said: “We didn’t realise how many we’d got this year until we got them all out but we must have hundreds.

Some of the Christmas cards from kind strangersSome of the Christmas cards from kind strangers
Some of the Christmas cards from kind strangers

“It has been lovely and it means so much more to us this year.

“Last year, Layton was so poorly I opened all the cards and showed them to him, but this year he is still terminal but he is so much better.

“He has been really excited and opened them all himself. It means people are still thinking about him even though he hasn’t been in the news that much so it has been really lovely this year.

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“We have some lovely followers on his Facebook page and every now and then they send nice messages so he knows they are thinking about him.”

Some of the Christmas cards from kind strangersSome of the Christmas cards from kind strangers
Some of the Christmas cards from kind strangers

Layton, who attends Hope School, was diagnosed with the incurable condition in December 2014 and given between a few months and two years to live.

“Layton is better, but with mitochondrial disease, we have been told he can basically just stop breathing at any point because of the damage to his spinal chord,” Stacey said.

“We were told he only had a couple of months to live two years but it will have been two years since he was diagnosed this December and he is still going. He is really strong.

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“Last year, he was so ill at one point we took him to hospital and they said he would be lucky to survive for 24 hours but he pulled through.

“He has been so much better this year. We’ve put off an operation because we didn’t feel it was the right time so he can still eat unaided.

“He is still wheelchair dependent when he is out but we can’t complain, he is still with us and still fighting. “

Mitochondrial disease is a rare genetic condition that prevents the body from producing energy for vital organs and muscles, especially the brain, liver, heart and kidneys.

Followed Layton’s Story by visiting https://www.facebook.com/superlayton/

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