NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – Bryson Jones, 7, has only three wishes. One wish was supposed to take him to Disney World, but due to the coronavirus outbreak thousands of wishes are postponed.
In spite of travel restrictions, Make-A-Wish Foundation of South Carolina and the North Myrtle Beach Department of Public Safety teamed up to bring smiles to local children with critical illnesses.
Bryson was in desperate need of a heart transplant and spent most of his seven years in the hospital since he was two weeks old. His condition kept him on bed rest until he was strong enough to learn how to walk again.
Bryson’s mother, Salanda Jones, told News13 that while in the hospital, Bryson never cried or complained. He even learned the value of a dollar by having his own lemonade stand.
Many days you could catch Bryson singing, dancing, and always smiling. Bryson received his heart transplant in 2018 and now that he has a new heart, his mother says that he enjoys play time – a time that he couldn’t enjoy as much in the hospital.
Salanda also says that it was faith that kept her heart strong enough for the both of them.
“It was God,” she said. “I have to say it was because you just didn’t know..so you know you need something and it was God that we had to have faith in.”
She explained that it’s the small things that matter most, which is why she is grateful for the efforts Make-A-Wish Foundation and NMBDPS are putting together for kids like Bryson.
Bryson has always been fascinated with police officers and firefighters. In 2018, when the NMBDPS adopted him, they gave him the full experience from riding in patrol cars to hosing down targets.
Due to social distancing, the department will drive through Bryson’s neighborhood at 1 p.m. on Friday, honking horns and flashing lights just to show that they are thinking of him.
Lance Corporal Amy Vicks, with NMBDPS, says that Bryson is truly a hero.
“That lil’ boy is probably – I consider – braver than our officers and firefighters to go through what he went through at such a young age,” Vicks says. “To be able to be his role model…I think he’s more of our role model.”
Make-A-Wish Foundation and other departments of safety will stop through several other neighborhoods on Friday afternoon.
As for the NMBDPS, they will continue to celebrate Bryson even when the pandemic is over.
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