This year Christmas time is a little extra special for one 5-year-old Lansdale boy.
Shane Popiny's dad Brett is a police officer. Often when Brett wears his uniform in the house, Shane will reach for the uniform's patch.
One day, Shane said, "Daddy, I want to a police officer just like you."
The obstacle is that Shane has Cerebral Palsy and is often confined to a wheel chair to assist his mobility.
To keep Shane's aspiration alive, the Popinys put together a YouTube video sharing Shane's story and asking police officers to send a Law Enforcement patch to him.
The video shows how the family lives their life and raises Shane.
"We wanted to show people that no matter what a child faces, the family can overcome the obstacle together," Brett said.
Shane received patches from officers all over the country, making him the happiest kid around.

Shane with patches he received from police officers around the country.

"People just attach themselves to his smile and an outpouring of support comes our way," Brett said.

After the networking and support group Law Enforcement Only (LEO) heard about Shane's story, combined with an injury Brett recently incurred while working as an officer, they decided to raise money for the Popiny family to "give them a Christmas."

Since Brett gets paid on a weekly basis, being out of work for recovery has made bill paying difficult and present buying impossible.

With tears in his eyes, Brett accepted the gift of a Christmas from LEO yesterday at Toys 'R Us in Montgomeryville.

Each of the Popiny's children, Dominic, 7, Shane, 5, and Gianna, 2, were able to spend $400 on any toy of their choosing, while the rest of the $3,100 raised for the family was given to Brett and his wife Colleen to pay their bills.

Shane in Toys 'R Us yesterday with his new flying "Cars" toy.

"It's a complete surprise and overwhelming that so many people came together to do this for us," Brett said. "This just goes to show that part of what holds us together is our larger family in the law enforcement community."

This is the second time Brett said he has been amazed at the support for his family. In February, the family won our "Sweetest Thing" contest, after readers decided they deserved a night out for all the do for their children.

To donate to the Popinys during this difficult time or show your support you can reach Colleen Popiny through e-mail at colleenpopiny@gmail.com or P.O. Box 41, Hatboro, Pa. 1940.

Jen Mohn, mother of Hannah Faith Mohn, a 3-year-old who struggles with a debilitating neuromuscular disorder yesterday spoke of the year-long battle with Hannah's insurance company to get her new $34,000 wheelchair approved. They finally received the wheelchair in the middle of April.

"It's like a full-time job trying to get something approved by insurance," Jen said. "There needs to be regulation in terms of approving these necessary pieces of equipment. It needs to be more personalized. I know we were asking a lot for this wheelchair but if they came to actually see Hannah they would understand."

With the difficulties in getting funding for equipment for Hannah to be independent and mobile, the Mohn's often fall on community support. In February The Reporter ran a story chronicling Hannah's story and her need and the community responded in astronomical ways. 

With the community's support, the Mohn's were able to retrofit their minivan to fit Hannah's new wheelchair.

Within a week of the article running on the front page of The Reporter, the Mohns could afford this $3,600 cost. Read the letter chronicling the response here.

Jennifer Connor, Community Engagement Editor at The Reporter, plans on investigating the challenge for families with children with special needs to get funding for necessary costs in an upcoming series. If you are a family with a special needs child and want to share your story and struggle, email Jennifer at jconnor@thereporteronline.com.

The Mohn family, Jen and Tim with their son Andrew,6, and daughter Hannah Faith together on Saturday February 16,2013. Photo by Mark C Psoras\The Reporter