A festive celebration was made even brighter by the joy of a young boy who underwent a heart transplant this spring.
Carter Glass, 8, marked his new chapter of health on Friday by lighting the Christmas tree at The Langham Hotel in Chicago.
Carter, who was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy as a newborn, waited for a heart for 6 years. He was just weeks from having to get an LVAD, a machine that helps the heart pump blood.
Finally this spring - he got a new heart. Things have gotten better in the months since.
"This Thanksgiving was great," said Carter's mom, Ashley Glass. "It was one that I didn't have to worry about running to change a pump, switch out a bag for him at a certain time...I felt whole."
A new heart means Carter gets to do normal kids things, like flying through the air on a zipline.
Finally this year, he's thinking about his list for Santa and not being stuck in the hospital.
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"The first thing I'm asking Santa for is a dog," Carter said.
But before that, the Langham wanted to make Carter and his family feel extra special this year.
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So, he was asked to illuminate the beautiful Christmas tree in their lobby.
And that's not all.
Carter and his mom are staying in a holiday suite - decked out to look like the North Pole.
As Carter finalizes his list for Santa, his mom is full of gratitude for the family whose loss helped give her family a new lease on life. Her hope for next Thanksgiving? To meet the family of Carter's donor.
"If they're open to meeting with us, I would love to meet you all cause I don't have any words to say how thankful I am," she said.
