Pictures from Prince Harry’s recent time spent with two terminally ill siblings in a London hospital are doing a great job of melting hearts across the internet.
Ollie Carroll and his sister Amelia, both have Batten disease which is a rare and fatal genetic childhood nervous system disorder, that will eventually hinder their ability to walk, see, eat, or breathe.
Many children diagnosed with Batten disease don’t live past the age of 12.
Ollie and Amelia’s parents, Lucy and Mike, recently posted photos on Facebook, of their special visit with Prince Harry along with a heartwarming description of their time together.
“For an hour Prince Harry sat with us talking and playing with our children, laughing and making memories. The very thing our children want the most in life, to be happy and having fun.”
“The love, the support and the laughter within that treatment room on Tuesday will stay with us forever,” they write. “From the bottom of our hearts we thank Prince Harry for his support, his time and his kindness towards our family and our journey with Batten Disease.”
Prince Harry first met the siblings last year at the WellChild Awards. Since then, it was obvious that he had a special connection with the family. The children’s parents wrote about their initial meeting saying, “What happened that day was truly magical, Ollie used all of his strength to stand on two feet to give Prince Harry a huge hug.”
The Prince’s visit made a real impression on their son. “We truly believe in that moment a bond was made between Ollie and Prince Harry.”
It’s not every day we see a public figure, or in this case, actual royalty, devoting their time to a childhood illness and showing such compassion to kids.