Mac's Wish: 10 months after helicopter ride, wish kid gives back

Last January, Mac took a sky tour of the Triangle in WRAL's helicopter Sky 5.

"It was really fun," Mac said. "The best day ever!"

Believers of all ages can write Santa a letter and drop it in the mailbox.

For each one received, Macy's will donate a dollar to Make-A-Wish, up to $1 million, to help other kids like Mac.

The local branch serves 49 North Carolina counties, stretching from Alamance and Orange counties to the coast.

“We naively thought when Mac had his transplant, that was going to be it and we were going to live happily ever after,” his mother Belinda Hogstrom said.

“We didn’t realize that was the beginning of a long journey of medical appointments, medication changes and a lot of restrictions on his activity — he’s missed a lot of his childhood."

Still the little boy’s smile is infectious. And his parents are amazed by his optimism and resiliency.

"It’s been a long journey to getting him to health and finding the right balance so that his body won’t reject his liver.”

“Through it all, he has remained this great, big personality,” Belinda Hogstrom said.

“That little fighter baby that made it through the first year is now a fighter kid. He’s strong. He’s strong-willed. He’s going to make it.”

The Hogstroms say they make it through by persevering and counting their blessings every day.

"Even in a really difficult circumstance, even when things are tough, there's always hope. There's always a silver lining. There's always room to believe,” she said.

"It's such a great opportunity to be thinking about other people who may be less fortunate or on a difficult path. I think it's a great opportunity for Macy's giving back to children and making an impact on their lives.”

Belinda Hogstrom said for Mac and other kids dealing with medical challenges, a wish can provide hope and a well-deserved break from scary doctor’s appointments.

"When you have a kid with special needs or medical issues, it can be very isolating. So to see a community coming around him, coming around us, has been very encouraging," she said. “For him to be a kid for a day, do something amazing, that was such a highlight."