Dying dad celebrates Christmas in July

Christmas came early this year for the Heafner family. Father, Andrew, is battling colon cancer and has decided not to undergo dialysis treatment.

"Who knows how long I got," Mr. Heafner said. "They say a few days, but I've lasted a bit longer than that."

While choosing to accept whatever comes next, the 65-year-old said he only wanted to celebrate one holiday that's meant so much to his family over the years.

"Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year so I decided to have Christmas early," Heafner said.

In a matter of hours, his son, Thomas, and his siblings called up their friends to orchestrate the jolliest Christmas day in the heart of July. In the blink of an eye, a hot summer day turned into a merry miracle.

"He wanted to stay around until its freezing cold outside, but I didn't mind spending Christmas in shorts and a t-shirt, so it's a win-win," Thomas said.

Heafner enjoyed a day filled with Christmas lights, family love, and sweet treats.

"It meant a lot to him and its one of those things where we'll never forget that," Heafner's son said.

"It's just wonderful, absolutely wonderful," Heafner said. "I got the tree just the way I like it, with as many ornaments as we could put on it and lights on it."

The family's magical holiday will serve as one of the lasting reminders of Andrew Heafner's last Christmas celebration.