Family’s Act of Kindness Turns Disney Dream into Reality for Baby with Limited Time
December 1, 2025
A family’s decision to spread joy during their Disney vacation led them to extend a heartfelt invitation to strangers, allowing a baby facing a terminal diagnosis to experience the magic of Disney World.
Shotwell family / Stauder family
Born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, baby Xaiden has battled medical issues since birth. He underwent heart surgery at just six days old, later suffering a stroke that resulted in hydrocephalus and hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.
Doctors recently informed Xaiden’s family that their time with him is limited, urging them to focus on creating lasting memories at home. Instead of preparing for a Christmas vacation, the family faced the heart-wrenching reality of saying farewell to their son.
While enjoying his own family vacation at Walt Disney World, Kelly Shotwell from Carlisle, Ohio, encountered Xaiden’s story online. A retired firefighter and paramedic, Shotwell reached out to the Stauder family via Facebook.
“I had a message on my Facebook and it just said, ‘Hey we’re down here at Disney. If I can get you down here would that be doable for you guys?'” Alexis Stauder recounted to WXIX.
“It just worked out,” Shotwell commented. “We found flights, we found tickets, we already had the place, we got them a rental car.”
A Disney visit was something the Stauders had long considered unattainable, a dream for the future when their kids were older. Thanks to the kindness of strangers, this dream swiftly became a tangible reality.
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