A touching surprise from GENTRI for a local father battling ALS who received a Secret Santa gift 2 years ago - East Idaho News
Secret Santa

A touching surprise from GENTRI for a local father battling ALS who received a Secret Santa gift 2 years ago

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IDAHO FALLS — When a Secret Santa asked the East Idaho News team to surprise Wyatt and Mindy Rees two years ago with a $10,000 check, they had no idea video of the visit would go viral.

In 2014, at age 29, Wyatt started to lose feeling in one of his arms. After multiple doctor visits spanning three years, Wyatt and Mindy ended up at the Mayo Clinic in August 2017 where he was diagnosed with ALS the day before his birthday.

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Wyatt and Mindy were thankful for the Secret Santa surprise and countless people around the world were touched by their humility. National media outlets wrote about their ordeal. Mindy launched a blog and Facebook page called Hope on the Horizon and has documented their journey.

Many of you have asked for an update on the Rees family. With GENTRI in eastern Idaho for a sold-out Christmas concert, EastIdahoNews.com decided to invite the group to help bring some Christmas cheer to Wyatt and Mindy.

It was a touching afternoon that won’t be forgotten. Watch the video above to see the special surprise!

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