Little boy, too sick to travel, gives Make-A-Wish vacation to his best friend

When 6-year-old Levi Mayhew became eligible for a wish from the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the Indiana boy was too sick to travel — so he gave his wish away.

Knowing he couldn’t make the trip to Florida with his family, he gave the vacation to his closest friend, 10-year-old Emma Broyer.

For the past year, as Levi lost his ability to walk, talk and even eat independently due to a rare and fatal genetic disorder on the Zellweger spectrum, Emma has been one of Levi’s biggest supporters and cheerleaders, writing him notes of encouragement and recruiting other friends to do the same.

"Just having Emma say ‘Hi’ to Levi made a world of difference. It opened two hearts at once," Levi’s mother, Rebecca Drake, told WTHR.

To thank Emma for her friendship and support, Levi and his family wanted her to have his Make-A-Wish trip to Florida, “to visit the theme parks and see the ocean,” and surprised her with the news at a local restaurant.

Levi gave her a T-shirt that read, “Levi wished for ME to go to Disney!!!”

Levi had his own shirt. It read, “I wished for Emma to go to Disney!!”

"It felt so good to give back to this little girl,” Drake told WTHR. “Emma had given so much to us without even realizing it. It’s a very warm feeling to know that another child loves and cares so much for your child, especially while facing the challenges stacked against us. It’s so innocent and pure. If angels really do walk the earth, Emma is one. She’s Levi’s angel. This story proves that the ‘power of one’ is astounding.”

Emma was thrilled by the surprise holiday — and still found a way to bring Levi along.

She and her family brought “Flat Levi,” a laminated 2D image of Levi, on their trip with them, inserting him into photos of all their adventures.

When Emma’s family returned from Florida, they presented Levi a scrapbook: “Emma and Levi’s trip.”