TORONTO -- Children receiving medical treatment for serious illnesses received a special visit from Santa Claus at the Ronald McDonald House in Toronto on Christmas morning.

Santa Claus and Toronto firefighters acting as elves visited the facility, which houses families of children with life-threatening or serious illnesses who have had to travel for treatment at local hospitals.

There are 81 families currently staying at the Ronald McDonald House, which accommodates about 4,700 families a year from across the province.

“There’s never anything more important than keeping families close, but especially around Christmas time,” Teri Brown, a Ronald McDonald House Charities board member, said.

Nine-year-old Everleigh Pierce has been waiting for a lung transplant since August 2019.

“Every day is hard here,” her mother, Kerry Pierce, said. “And to see all our first responders here sharing their Christmas morning with our family, during such a trying time, is pretty magical.”

Each child received specially-selected toys from Santa Claus, which are collected through the Toronto Firefighters Toy Drive.

About a dozen firefighters attended the Christmas morning visit.

“I don’t think there’d be any firefighter here today that hasn’t shed a few tears, seeing the looks on the children’s faces and the parents,” Toronto Fire District Chief Pat Howlett said. “It’s important everybody has a great Christmas, if they can’t be at their own homes.”

Donations can be made all year long at any Toronto Fire station.