Born with severe cerebral palsy, Jonathan Bryan cannot speak or move.
But the 11-year-old has an incredible imagination and is obsessed with books – so it was a dream come true when he was able to meet his favourite author Michael Morpurgo.
This Christmas we are asking you to help grant the wishes of more children like Jonathan by donating your old £1 coins to Make-A-Wish Foundation UK.
The charity arranges magical experiences for youngsters who are fighting life-threatening conditions.
Generous Daily Mail readers have already raised more than £150,000 as part of our Quids for Kids campaign.
Born with severe cerebral palsy, Jonathan Bryan (pictured centre with his mother Chantal and siblings Jemma, five and Susannah, eight) cannot speak or move. But the 11-year-old has an incredible imagination and is obsessed with books – so it was a dream come true when he was able to meet his favourite author Michael Morpurgo
Jonathan, from Stanton St Quintin, Wiltshire, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at birth, having been starved of oxygen in the womb when his mother Chantal was injured in a car accident.
His health problems are profound and life limiting – he also has kidney failure, chronic lung disease and is oxygen dependent.
He spent the first seven years of his life unable to communicate beyond facial expressions – ‘locked in’ his own body, unable to speak or move.
But four years ago his mother taught him to spell with his eyes and an alphabet board.
It quickly became apparent that Jonathan had a passion for the storybooks she had been reading him. ‘Jonathan has spent so much of his life in hospital,’ said Mrs Bryan, 40, a former social worker and now her son’s full-time carer.
‘Reading to him was always an escape from those surroundings for both of us. We’d snuggle up together while I read to him for hours, losing myself in the pages of these wonderful stories, only able to hope that Jonathan was being similarly carried away as he listened.’
Mrs Bryan only discovered quite to what extent when her son began to master the art of spelling words.
‘The great breakthrough was when we were writing a story together about pirates and he spelt out the word ‘myriad’,’ she said.
This Christmas The Daily Mail is asking you to help grant the wishes of more children like Jonathan (pictured centre) by donating your old £1 coins to Make-A-Wish Foundation UK
‘This wasn’t one of the pre-printed words I’d been working on with him – in fact it wasn’t a word I’d have expected a child his age to know.
‘He was only nine then. This was such a beautiful moment, when I realised that Jonathan had a mind and voice very much of his own.’
Jonathan’s greatest desire was to meet Mr Morpurgo – a wish that was turned into a reality by Make-A-Wish Foundation UK on an unforgettable afternoon last December.
Jonathan and his two sisters, Susannah, eight, and Jemima, five, travelled to Exeter Cathedral, where the War Horse author read Jonathan’s own short story aloud. The story imagined his travels with his similarly locked-in best friend Will.
The author encouraged Jonathan to write a book of his own – and he is now working on the story of his life, Eye Can Write, which will be published next summer.
Jonathan, from Stanton St Quintin, Wiltshire, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at birth. But four years ago his mother Chantal (pictured) taught him to spell with his eyes and an alphabet board
After the meeting, Jonathan wrote Mr Morpurgo a letter, saying: ‘Hearing you read my tale was like sitting at the feet of my storytelling master; immersed in the richness of your narration we travelled the landscape of my silence together.’ Jonathan says that since meeting his hero he feels inspired to write.
He says: ‘Immersing myself in a story is the most enjoyable, wonderful escapism; books have nourished my mind and prevented mental decay during my years of silence.
‘Trapped in cerebral palsy here; I run within the pages: skipping, laughing, exploring.
‘Immersing myself in the adventure of new tales, I have inhabited the scenes of author’s pictures and woven them with my imagination.
‘Words have been my portal to another world. And now it is my turn to be the custodian of the power of words.’
Every year, Make-A-Wish Foundation UK grants hundreds of sick children their One True Wish.
This year’s goal is to grant 1,000 wishes but even then, many more requests will still be waiting to be fulfilled.
A heartbreaking 20,000 young people face gruelling treatment and long periods in hospital over Christmas this year.
The Mail has partnered with Nationwide Building Society, which will take old £1 coins for the charity until December 20.
Or like thousands of readers, you can make a regular donation – see the panel below for details.