Little boy battling brain tumor cries tears of joy after being surprised with a puppy

It's a dream for many children to have a pet. The moment parents fulfill that dream for their child is absolutely heartwarming to watch. When a child takes the first look at the furry friend they always wanted, it's either a scream of joy or bouts of happy tears or sometimes both. 11-year-old Elijah had one such moment of sheer joy last year when Make-A-Wish Nebraska fulfilled his long-time dream of getting a puppy. When the boy, who was battling a brain tumor, was introduced to the furry friend he always wanted, he broke into tears of joy and the entire moment turned out to be emotional.

On February 20, the U.S. celebrates the National Love Your Pet Day. So, it was the perfect time to fulfill the 11-year-old's wish of having a pet. When a person from Make-A-Wish Nebraska was bringing the puppy toward Elijah, his eyes instantly filled with tears. Having least expected this surprise, Elijah couldn't hold back his emotions and he squatted down on the pavement crying. His whole family was with him to savor the beautiful moment and the boy couldn't believe that he actually got a puppy. When the person who brought the puppy asked if he wanted to hold him, an excited Elijah replied, "Yes!" and gently took the puppy in his hands. He hugged the little pooch and with a shaky voice repeated, "I love you," several times.

"In honor of #nationalloveyourpetday, we're taking a moment to appreciate the positive impact pets have on wish kids!" the non-profit captioned the video. They mentioned that Elijah not only yearned for a puppy for so long but was also specific about which puppy he would like to have. "He knew exactly the type of dog he wanted – a black, brown and white corgi puppy," they wrote and added, "He even had a name picked out, Tucker!" With the help of "Wish Granters" the organization gave Elijah the surprise of his life and the boy finally got his Tucker. This video went viral melting thousands of hearts on the internet. 

Updating Elijah's wholesome story recently, the Nebraska organization posted an adorable picture of the boy with his little Corgi, Tucker. Turns out, Elijah wanted a Corgi because he was captivated by them when he saw them on YouTube. He expressed his wish to the "Wish Granters" and along with the puppy he wanted, the non-profit also gave the boy a new hope in life. Elijah's mom, Keri thanked the organization saying, "It is great to see your child smile and be so overwhelmed with joy after everything that they went through."

This wasn't the first time a child had put forward a very specific wish to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. In 2022, Make-A-Wish Metro New York fulfilled the wishes of Zoey, whose passion was "dog photography." Battling a brain tumor for over three years, Zoey found her passion when she spent time capturing her dog, Disel, on camera during her hospital stays for treatment. She wanted new camera equipment and to learn from a professional photographer. With the help of the non-profit, Zoey's dream came true and she was trained by one of the best dog photography teams, the "Dogist". After her training sessions, she even joined the team to support the animal shelters.