KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A local family is hoping to raise enough money to join a 4-year-old on his trip to Disney World as he battles a rare genetic disease.
Axile has a very rare disease that has no cure — Hunter Syndrome. His grandmother, Patricia McMahan, said the Make-A-Wish Foundation is sending Axile to Disney World. She said she hopes the community can help the rest of the family get there too.
Axile and his brother, Gatlin, were born with Hunter Syndrome. The disorder doesn’t allow the body to break down certain sugar molecules, causing them to build up in their organs and tissues.
There is no cure for it, only treatments. On April 22, Gatlin died due to the disorder.
“At night he’ll say, ‘Momma, where’s baby?’ And that’s one of the most difficult nights when you have to deal with that,” said McMahan.
Their family wants to make sure Axile can live out his wish. The Make-A-Wish Foundation is sending him to the theme park in October, but the foundation doesn’t pay to send the whole family.
The foundation is paying for the trip for Axile, and immediate family members between 3 years old old and 18 years old. But the family also wants to take his older brother, sister and cousins, some of whom are over 18 years old.
It's an experience that McMahan said she wants the whole family to have. She said the family is paying off Gatlin’s funeral and is hoping to raise money to pay for the rest of the Disney trip.
Patricia said she wants to give her grandson this special experience while she still can.
“As a family, it would be a miracle, something we never got to do,” said McMahan. “But as for Axile, I think it would be something he would cherish for the rest of his life.”
Anyone who wants to donate can do so through a GoFundMe campaign.