The best Christmas present a young Dundee couple could get is taking their son home from hospital, even for a short time on the big day.
Peter James Campbell, known as PJ, is only three, but has already spent much of his life in hospital.
The severely disabled youngster is currently in Tayside Children’s Hospital at Ninewells, being treated for dehydration and weight loss, brought on by his cerebral palsy.
It’s still not known if he will be well enough to get home for Christmas Day.
PJ lives with his mum and dad Sam, 21 and Keiran, 19, in Menzieshill.
“We would love to get PJ home for Christmas Day to spend time with the rest of family, but it’s not clear yet if he will be well enough to be allowed out of hospital,” said Sam.
“It would be the best Christmas present we could have to be allowed to take him home, even for a short while.”
Sam explained PJ was born three months prematurely in 2012.
“When he was born, everything was fine, but when he was only seven weeks old he contracted meningitis,” she said.
As a direct result of the meningitis, PJ now suffers from cerebral palsy, has epilepsy and is registered blind.
Sam and Keiran say he will never be able to walk and will spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.
He also can’t sit up by himself and this year has undergone surgery on his hips to try to improve his mobility.
“This is the third time this year PJ has been in hospital,” said Sam.
She added that PJ regularly received physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and speech and language and music therapy.
Because of his condition, PJ finds it very difficult to eat and drink properly.
Sam said it was a constant struggle for them to make sure he was getting enough food and fluid.
She said: “Recently, because of this, he became pretty badly dehydrated and was losing a lot of weight.
“He was brought into hospital to be tube fed and he has been doing really well.”
Keiran hopes the hospital will let him spend Christmas at home with everybody else.
“I think they will show us how to do the tube feeding so we can take him home,” he added.
He said that they planned to have all the extended family, including grandparents, to their house on Christmas Day so that everyone would have the chance to see PJ.
Also hoping to get out of hospital in time for Christmas Day is five-year-old Lisa Dulley, from Kirkton.
Mum Linda said that Lisa was diagnosed with epilepsy in October.
“I first noticed that something wasn’t right when Lisa started at Downfield Primary School,” said Linda.
“Being excited or stressed makes the condition worse and she was admitted to hospital at the weekend because she was having quite a few seizures.
“She wasn’t well at all and I’m not sure yet when she will get home but, hopefully, in time for Christmas.”
Meanwhile, Agatha King, five, from Cupar, was also at the hospital for treatment.
She was diagnosed with leukaemia 10 months ago and is currently undergoing chemotherapy for her condition.
The youngster was in hospital for a lumbar puncture.
The trio were among several children who received a surprise visit at the hospital from Santa Claus.
Santa, with a little help from children’s charity boss Charlie Kean, handed out presents that had been donated by people throughout the city in time for the festive period, bringing smiles to the kids’ faces.