We have all prayed for a Christmas miracle at some point in our lives, and one man from Fairbanks, Alaska almost got his.

Patrick Holland, a father of seven children, is a fun-loving man who enjoys a good laugh and lives with faith.

Holland is famous in his local hospital for pranks on doctors and even played dead once. He suffers from congestive heart failure, and despite the grimness of his illness, he has tried his best to keep his spirits high, especially for his children.

About three weeks ago, the father of seven finally got on the list for active heart transplants. When he made the list, he had high hopes that being included and finally getting a new heart would help extend his life by at least 30 years. Holland said that the potential extension of his life would allow him to watch his children grow up and create many lasting memories.

One of the things that Holland was excited to do once he got a new heart was to chase his kids around the park, something he said he used to do all the time. He wanted to spend time with his kids so they would get to know him better and not forget him after he passed away.

On December 22, he got the most important call of his life. The call from the UW Heart Institute in Seattle informed him that they had gotten what they described as the “perfect” heart for him. 

Doctors at the Institute told him he had to be in the hospital in eight hours or the heart would have to go to someone else. 

Excited about the miraculous call he had received and with no time to waste, Holland and his brother booked a flight to Seattle and went to Fairbanks Airport. Shortly after they arrived at the airport, what seemed like a miracle suddenly started to slip away.

On arrival, Holland realized that the flight they had booked was canceled due to bad weather, but he was not going to give up so easily.

An Alaskan Airlines employee heard his story and quickly got him on another flight heading to Seattle.

Holland said he was relieved to be on the flight and thought God was finally lining things up for him. 

He had no idea that his beautiful dream would be shattered into many pieces. Four hours after their flight from Fairbanks, Alaska took off, the pilot made a puzzling announcement. The captain announced that they were landing in Anchorage. 

After the winter storm grounded all flights, the plane diverted to an airport in Anchorage, Alaska.

He reached out to the hospital to explain the situation and kept trying to get a flight to Seattle but to no avail.

About eight hours later, Holland got the dreaded call telling him they would give someone else the heart. 

Just like that, his Christmas miracle disappeared.

Holland went back to Fairbanks and remains on the heart transplant list.

Holland’s suitcase is still packed and he plans to fly to Seattle soon. He will find a place to stay there so he’s close by when another opportunity comes up. He’s optimistic.