Santa poses with toddler who just suffered seizure

AKRON, Ohio -- Two-year-old Ryland Wade had a seizure just before his mother took him to Belden Village Mall in Ohio to see Santa.

Santa completely understood why Ryland was so tired for his picture, so he played along.

The result was a heartwarming holiday photo of Santa pretending to be asleep as he held Ryland.

Ryland experienced a lack of oxygen to his brain during labor. He suffered severe brain damage and has been diagnosed with epilepsy and spastic quadriplegia cerebral palsy. As a result, Ryland is non-verbal and visually impaired. He eats and takes his medications through a tube.

Ryland suffers from seizures, sometimes one per day, sometimes more than six. On Thanksgiving 2014, he had 42 seizures. The seizures are typically induced by sound.

Despite the constant potential of a sudden seizure, the Wade family refuses to impede Ryland from enjoying life.

"We know the chance of him having a seizure while we're out is there," said Ryland's mother, Samantha Wade. "But we're not going to stay cooped up in the house when there's so much we could be letting him experience. It's our job as parents to get him out there and see the world, while knowing his limits and keeping him safe."

A new diet, started in June, has improved Ryland's seizures. Prior to starting the Ketogenic diet, Ryland endured at least a dozen seizures per day.

Ryland's epilepsy is a dangerous condition that can result in choking or cardiac arrest. During seizures, Ryland chokes on his own saliva, meaning his parents sometimes have to suction the saliva with a machine. As Ryland gets older, he faces an increased risk of Sudden Unexpected Death of Someone with Epilepsy.

Medications may help some of Ryland's seizures, but they do not prevent them, and the seizures can take a toll on Ryland's body with long-term effects. The Wade family hopes for the legalization of medical marijuana, which may help Ryland's condition.

In the meantime, the Wade family continues to celebrate life. Instead of living in fear of seizures, the family runs errands, attends birthday parties and visits Santa like any family with young children.

"For those diagnosed, as well as their caregivers, epilepsy is definitely going to dictate some of the things you can and can't do, but you cannot let it rule your life," Samantha Wade said. "You can't let the fear of what could possibly be consume you. You can't let epilepsy win."