She woke up Thanksgiving morning and was paralyzed. Now a Secret Santa is helping this school aide with a big need. - East Idaho News
Secret Santa

She woke up Thanksgiving morning and was paralyzed. Now a Secret Santa is helping this school aide with a big need.

  Published at  | Updated at

The EastIdahoNews.com team is busy helping a local man gift $500,000 this holiday season! Secret Santa is a real person who wants to remain anonymous and wants to help as many people as he can.

We will be surprising deserving people and families every day from now until Christmas with gifts unique to their circumstances.

Rachel Williams has a condition called Transverse Myelitis. She woke up on Thanksgiving morning when she was 12-years-old and was paralyzed from the waist down. Since then, she has relied on the use of a wheelchair and an adapted vehicle.

Rachel works at Ethel Boyes Elementary School in Idaho Falls where she is a Title I tutor. Every day, she teaches small group lessons in reading and math to students and she also works as a lunchroom duty.

Rachel currently drives a truck that is 17 years old and she desperately needs a new one. The cost for the vehicle that would work with her wheelchair is $27,900 and friends, neighbors, coworkers and students have held numerous fundraisers to help her reach her goal.

So far over $17,000 has been raised and Secret Santa decided to help Rachel out with the funds. During a Thanksgiving assembly, the East Idaho News elves decided to pay her a little visit. Watch the video above to see how the surprise turned out!

watch Secret Santa videos

SUBMIT A CORRECTION