No one ever wants to think about spending one last holiday with their child. The Heart of Christmas is a true story of one family’s journey to give their son, Dax, one last Christmas after being diagnosed with AML M7 leukemia.
The movie was inspired by the true story of the Locke family and their little boy Dax. When singer/songwriter Matthew West’s caught wind of this touching story, he wrote the song “One Last Christmas.” The song was an instant hit and helped the Locke family raise funds to help run St. Jude hospital.
Fifteen minutes into this movie and any parent will be a complete wreck, but it does tell a great story of others helping in a time of need despite the heartbreak.
The story starts out with a busy Mom played by Candace Cameron Bure (Full House), who barely has time to take her children trick or treating when she finds a house putting up Christmas decorations on Halloween. She’s then told about Austin and Julie Locke and their sweet little boy Dax. You’re then taken through their journey of fighting cancer at St. Jude’s and their ups and downs. After doing everything they could, the Locke’s were sent home to wait for their son to die and “‘cherish every moment.’ 
In an attempt to make Dax as happy as can be until the end, they planned to celebrate one last Christmas with him since it was his favorite holiday. Dax especially loved the Christmas lights on the tree and on the house. The whole town came together and helped by decorating their homes and bringing Christmas cheer even in October. After Dax’s story made headlines, people all over the world started putting up Christmas lights for Dax. It’s a powerful story about how communities can come together and the power of a friend.
The Dax Locke Foundation reached its goal of raising enough money to run St. Jude’s hospital for one whole day. Dax passed away on December 30th, 2009.
The movie is out now! For more information about this inspiring true story of hope and compassion, visit the Dax Locke Foundation website at http://www.daxlocke.org.
