Girl with cerebral palsy falls asleep in Santa’s arms at mall

A girl with multiple health challenges was so comfortable during her visit with Santa at a Rhode Island mall that she fell asleep.

Michelle MacIntosh told WJAR that her daughter, Briana, is 4 but developmentally is between 6 and 9 months. Briana has been diagnosed with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy and cortical visual impairment. Her health issues make public outings a challenge, but this year's Santa visit went better than MacIntosh could have imagined.

MacIntosh thanked Santa for his patience and his quiet and calm demeanor, which immediately put Briana at ease. Briana was so comfortable that she fell asleep in Santa's arms. Photographs captured the sweet moment.

Macintosh said not only did Santa make her daughter's day, he made her day as well. She told WJAR that she contacted Emerald Square Mall officials to make sure Santa was recognized for his efforts.

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