When a Kansas mom told Santa her son needs a kidney, he prayed with the boy on his lap

Right after three young children took their photo with Santa and jumped off his lap, the jolly ol’ man had a question for them: What would you like for Christmas?

When Santa got to Levi, 2, though, his mom stepped in and said “he doesn’t talk much,” according to her Facebook post.

“But he’s on the kidney transplant list,” Julie Kay Ryff recalled saying on Dec. 10, “so he would like a new kidney for Christmas.”

“Levi was born with a congenital defect that caused significant damage to his kidneys,” Rhyff posted to Facebook in April. “The defect was repaired shortly after Levi was born, but the damage to his kidneys was done.”

Since then, the family has been looking for a kidney match, and they have asked others to “pray for Levi.”

While at the Bass Pro Shops in Olathe, Kansas, Santa Claus joined Levi and his family in the prayer for a kidney.

After Ryff told Santa that Levi needs a new kidney, he had a “very surprised look on his face and immediately reached for Levi and put him back on his lap.”

“Santa then put one arm around Levi and his other hand on his belly and started to pray for Levi,” the Facebook post said.

“It was the most heartfelt, sincere prayer,” the mom wrote. “He hugged Levi and set him down. He looked me in the eye and squeezed my hand. I walked away crying.”

The Christmas story made others tear up, too.

“Well now I’ll cry too so precious God is faithful,” one woman wrote.

“Well I am now crying....best story I’ve heard for awhile!” said another.

“Thanks for sharing and making me cry too,” another person replied.

While there is “no definite answer” on how long it will take someone on the transplant list to get a kidney, it could take “months or years” to find a match, according to Stanford Children’s Hospital. There are more than 93,000 people on the list, according to the Living Kidney Donors Network.

Also this year, while in Texas, Santa took the time to let a blind, autistic 6-year-old boy “see” his eyes twinkle, McClatchy previously reported. Santa got on the floor next to the boy, and he let Matthew tug on his white beard and touch “all over his eyes,” Misty Wolf posted to Facebook.