Boy with rare condition granted firefighter wish

Elliott had the chance to put out real flames during his experience

An eight-year-old boy with a rare and incurable health condition has had his wish of becoming a firefighter come to life at an experience day organised by a charity and Derbyshire's fire service.

Elliott, from Chesterfield, has molybdenum cofactor deficiency (MoCD) type A, a genetic condition that affects the brain and nervous system.

As a result he is non-verbal, requires daily medication administered through a central line and has a learning disability.

His mother Lucy said: "I don't think 'thank you' is enough for what they've done for him. It was personalised and tailored to him and was an absolute dream come true."

Elliott's experience came from his love of Fireman Sam

Lucy said Elliott was a big fan of Fireman Sam, which was the reason they chose this experience through the charity Make-A-Wish UK.

Lucy said: "We knew that Elliott is obsessed with firefighters. I don't use the word 'obsessed' lightly. For years, everything is Fireman Sam and fire engines and fire hoses.

"When they said we could keep it local in the Chesterfield area, it made it even better because he goes past [the fire station] every single day, he goes to their open days and everything and it made it even more personal.

"He had birthday cake there, they sang happy birthday to him. He got to go on a ride in a fire engine, he got to break open a car that was like a mock-up of a road traffic accident, it was just phenomenal.

"He talks about it non-stop on his talker. It's just made his dream come true."

Firefighter Paul Hudson was on hand to show Elliott the ropes

Paul Hudson, one of the firefighters involved in the day, said: "We got to make Elliott's wish come true really.

"He got to get off the truck, get a hose reel off and spray water on real flames, so a really good opportunity for him. The smile on his face was unbelievable.

"It's a privilege to be able to create that experience and memory for him. The strength and courage he demonstrated was amazing. He showed us all what a real hero is, really, for a little lad of his age."

'Perfect day'

Lucy said Elliott's condition was diagnosed early, adding: "It was passed down by both me and his dad. We had no clue that we were even carriers.

"He cannot break down the sulphur in his body and it accumulates in his brain and causes issues. He was diagnosed at three days old.

"For the future, we don't know. We will never be able to answer that until we actually get there."

Charity Metabolic Support UK said: "Only three children in the UK currently live with MoCD-A, a severe, and often fatal genetic disorder.

"Current care focuses only on managing symptoms, with most children dying by age four.

"A targeted treatment, Fosdenopterin (Nulibry), exists but isn't available in England, as the company sadly decided to withdraw their application."

Jason Suckley, chief executive of Make-A-Wish UK, said: "Elliott played a starring role in his perfect day, essentially.

"An 'emergency' occurred on site at the fire station in their training facility, and he was on hand to point the hose there.

"Every wish has its moments where you can just see the power of it, and that was it.

"He was absolutely beaming as he got the chance to do that."

Additional reporting by Ian Skye and Becky Measures