An 11 year-old boy from Troy, New York, who is suffering from a rare genetic disorder, found out on Sunday that his wish to be blessed by the Pope is about to come true.

NBC News is reporting on a faith-filled young altar server named Landon LaChance who was born with neurofibromatosis, a rare, genetic disorder that makes his skin change color and causes non-cancerous tumors to form. Complications from the condition can be severe and include hearing loss, learning impairment, heart and blood vessel (cardiovascular) problems, loss of vision, and severe pain.

” . . .[H]e struggles,” said his mother, Mary LaChance. “He’s had MRIs since he was two.”

Speaking about her son, who she says has an incredible soul and is always smiling, is “just focusing on getting better and being normal. He’s trying to be as normal as he can and he just wants to be free of the tumors and pray for a miracle.”

This explains why, when given the opportunity to have a wish come true, Landon opted for a blessing from Pope Francis rather than a trip to Disneyworld or to meet a sports hero, which is what most sick children request.

The devout young boy admitted it was a difficult decision to make but he stands behind the wish he requested.

“I wanted to go see the Pope and I wanted to see if this would help, getting blessed by the Pope,” he said.

His choice to see the pope didn’t surprise his father, Jason LaChance, who saw nothing out of the ordinary about this son’s choice to visit the Vatican instead of Disneyworld.

“For an 11-year-old kid it’s unusual, but for him, it fits right in,” Jason said about his boy, who is very involved in Sacred Heart parish in Troy.

Others were a bit more surprised, such as Kirsten Broschinsky of Make-A-Wish who says she was taken aback by Landon’s request.

“But in talking to him from the moment we met him, I was so impressed with his sincerity and his humility and I knew it was truly the wish that was in his heart,” Broschinsky said.

On Sunday, Rev. John J. Yanas, pastor of Sacred Heart Church, announced that Landon’s wish was about to come true.

The LaChance family will be flown to the Vatican within the next two weeks where Pope Francis will give Landon a personal blessing.

Click here to see a video of the moment Landon received this news.

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