BROOMFIELD - Behind every Christmas wish, there is someone who believes - someone like 7-year-old Addison Kleinhans.
"It was hard in the beginning, but once I started, it was hard when the needles hurt to move, but once I got to be able to move and I got used to everything, it actually was fun when I was in the hospital," he said.
Even on the bad days, right after doctors found leukemia, Addison kept believing. Inside Children's Hospital Colorado, the little boy found friends. Bella believes too and some believe she is his girlfriend.
"Don't talk about that," Addison said.
His secret is safe, but he has more important ones to keep. Those secrets are actually wishes he is going to deliver. They are letters for Santa Claus.
"My goal was 100 letters. Then Mom said we'll probably make it there, so we pushed it up to 300 letters and she said we'll make it there. So, she said 1,000 letters and now look - we're at 3,000 and 50 letters," he said.
Addison has more than 1,000 friends on Facebook and that is how he put out his request to be a helper for Santa this year. From every continent, from the young and the old, Addison offered to collect the letters and raise money for the Make a Wish Foundation.
"Kids with life-threatening illnesses - after their treatment, and sometimes in their treatment, they choose a wish and Make a Wish makes it come true. But it cannot be a gun or money or like a hot tub," Addison said. "One girl, she had 16 things on her list and I only read number one. And guess what it said? A pink pony. That might happen if you want a toy pink pony, but if it's a real one..."
Make a Wish just grants the good wishes - and lots of them.
Addison and his sister Madeline are delivering the letters to the Santa at Macys. Each has big hopes and dreams.
"Things that you believe, sometimes if you really think about it, and hope about it, might come true and if you believe things are real a lot more stuff will happen," he said.
Addison has a special wish too - one he knows will come true if everyone can believe.
"That all the kids who want a Make a Wish and know what they want from Make a Wish, they hopefully get that Make a Wish," he said.
Friday is National Believe Day at Macy's, which is why Addison brought his letters to the store Friday morning. For each letter he delivered, for this day only, Macy's gave $2 to the Make a Wish Foundation. That means he raised $7,000.
Macys is continuing to accept letters through Dec. 24 and will donate $1 for each letter
For more information, visit www.macys.com/believe.
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