KEARNS, Utah — A tight knit Utah family of seven has been excited for the holidays for weeks. But as happy as the family is, they're going through a very tough time.
Paige and Joey Frank's 3-year-old daughter, Presley, is suffering from an extremely serious and extremely rare condition. With weekly trips to the hospital and costly medication, the Frank's financial resources are going toward their daughter's care.
The other Frank children knew their Christmas wish list came second.
That's when the FOX 13 Dream Team visited the family under the explanation that they were there to do a news story on Presley's blood disease. But just outside, the team was standing by to give the Frank;s a Christmas they won't forget.
Presley has idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, or ITP, which allows her immune system to attack her healthy platelets and destroy them. Even the smallest of bruises can end up covering Presley's entire body.
"In a nutshell, she she's not a normal 3-year-old kid," Paige explained. "We normally can't have her go play with the kids. She she's not allowed to go on the playground, jump on trampolines."
Presley's condition requires extensive ongoing medical care with weekly blood draws which allows her parents to know if she gets hurt, how much at-risk she will be,
"It gets, it gets challenging," said Paige.
After the interviews, FOX 13 News anchor Kelly Chapman said she was going to get new batteries for her microphone, but instead, returned with a the Dream Team and another special guest.
The big guy himself, Santa Claus, along with Mountain America Credit Union's Sharlene Wells surprised Presley and her family with a holiday gift they desperately needed.
"You have a beautiful family and you've been working so hard this year," said Wells.
Along with presents for Presley and the rest of the Frank children, Santa brought along a special gift of much-needed cash for Paige and Joey to help the family through the tough times.
CLICK HERE for more information about blood diseases and platelet disorders, and resources for those living with ITP.
