Santa makes special early visit to brave Cork boy

Santa greets Conor Wills, along with his brother Brian, dad Brian, and mum Lorraine in Ballincollig, Cork. Picture: Jim Coughlan

Gardaí cleared roads tonight to ensure Santa Claus could make a very special pre-Christmas surprise house call to a very brave boy.

A fleet of Garda motorbikes and jeeps provided a blue-lights escort for Santa and Mrs Claus during their flying pre-Christmas visit to eight-year-old Conor Wills, at his home in Ballincollig, Cork.

Conor, who was diagnosed with leukaemia in June 2018, takes his chemotherapy in tablet form and was a little tired today.

But he got a real boost when Santa and Mrs Claus arrived outside his house. They all wore masks and observed social distancing.

“I’m kicking leukemia’s butt,” Conor told them.

Sources at the North Pole said it is very unusual for Santa and his wife to make house calls like this but they made an exception for Conor.

“Conor is such a brave young man, and he has inspired so many people, especially in recent months, that we just had to visit him at home, to reassure him, and children everywhere, that despite the pesky pandemic, I will be visiting their homes on Christmas Eve, as usual,” Santa's spokesman told the Irish Examiner.

Conor was one of several young ‘superheroes’ who fronted a Mercy University Hospital (MUH) campaign in October to raise funds to support vital cancer services for children in Cork.

Dressed as Batman, he starred in a video to thank the doctors and nurses at MUH who have helped care for him, and he urged people to get involved in the 2020 Mercy Heroes campaign.

Funds raised will help support its POONS service, the Paediatric Oncology Outreach Nursing Service, which allows children with cancer to receive treatment in their own home.

The only service of its kind in Ireland, it has supported some of Cork’s youngest patients and their families in recent years but Covid-19 has made this home-based service even more vital.

Conor’s mum, Lorraine, said it was overwhelming to see the efforts everyone had gone to in order to arrange Santa's house call.

“With everything that is going on at the moment, a visit to Santa was just not on the cards for Conor so to see him arrive outside our house like this was just wonderful," said Lorriane. "It’s a great boost to Conor’s spirits and hopefully for the neighbourhood too. 

“Children, in particular, have lost out so much during the pandemic. This was just so lovely.” 

She and her husband Brian paid tribute to the MUH medical team, led by Dr Clodagh Ryan, describing them as “walking saints”, and paid tribute to the staff and students at Scoil Eoin, where Conor is a pupil of second class.

“The school has been just amazing. Nothing is a problem. Everyone has minded Conor. The sixth-class students even knitted a blanket for him so he wouldn’t be cold travelling to some of his medical appointments,” said Lorraine.

“The kindness and support over the last three years is so humbling.” 

Santa also confirmed that Conor and his older brother, Brian, 13, are on his ‘good list’.