IT was the best Christmas present the Grant family could have hoped for.

Mum Zilah Grant, 23, from Smiths Wharf, Wantage, was ecstatic after her disabled son, Khian, received a £500 donation from the local emergency services charity.

The two-year-old suffers from Zellweger syndrome, a rare condition thought to affect just one in 50,000 people in the UK.

It means Khian’s body has not developed properly and, as a result, suffers from poor hearing, eyesight and mobility, and experiences seizures.

But this month Wantage 999 Emergency Fund donated the cash after reading about Khian in the Oxford Mail in November.

The cash will go towards weekly £40-a-time physio sessions for Khian at the Footsteps Centre, in Warborough, near Wallingford.

Miss Grant, a receptionist at Wantage leisure centre, said: “This is just the best thing for us at Christmas and is a real weight off our shoulders.

“I was very surprised the services read about us and felt moved to donate. We’re very grateful, especially as we would never have thought to approach them.

“Khian’s condition means his muscle tone is very poor and his body is quite floppy.

“The physio sessions have a huge impact on his strength and have a massive effect.”

Khian was featured in the Mail after Miss Grant and her partner, Rich Chambers, 28, decided to hold a fundraiser this January, when Khian will attempt to swim 15 lengths of the children’s pool at the White Horse leisure and tennis centre in Abingdon.

Wantage 999 Emergency Fund is made up of Wantage Fire and Rescue, Thames Valley Police and South Central Ambulance Service.

Tony Whiting, watch manager at Wantage fire station, said: “All of us read the story, and we’re parents ourselves, and just thought how difficult it must be to raise a severely disabled child with no help.

“They are an amazing family. One of the boys at the station works alongside Zilah and it’s great to be helping someone local.

“Also, we’re always on the lookout to provide help to local causes, so readers are more than welcome to get in touch.”

Mr Whiting can be contacted at Wantage Fire Station, Ormond Road, Wantage OX12 8DU.

To sponsor Khian for his swim email Miss Grant at reflex82@live.co.uk