A Secret Santa surprises retirees whose dream home turned out to be a disaster
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A local Secret Santa is giving $1 million to deserving people in eastern Idaho this holiday season. Every day, from now until the end of the year, the East Idaho News elves will be delivering gifts from Secret Santa and we’ll be sharing the surprise videos here.
A couple recently moved to eastern Idaho to be closer to family, but their retirement dream quickly turned into a nightmare after discovering the home they purchased was far more damaged than they had been led to believe.
David, a retired special education teacher, and his wife, Judy, a former school nurse, bought the home earlier this year, hoping it would be a safe, comfortable place. They have two children with disabilities, one who still lives with her parents.
The house fit their budget and came with assurances that its cigarette smoke damage could be remedied with primer and an ozone treatment. But shortly after moving in, the couple realized the problems ran much deeper.
Behind the walls and under the floors, they discovered extensive mold, severe and irreversible smoke damage, and even critters living inside the structure. What they thought would be a manageable renovation quickly spiraled into a full gut job. Floors, drywall, ceilings, and insulation all had to be removed, leaving the house stripped down to its studs.
They have spent every dollar of their retirement savings trying to make the home livable. Today, they sleep on cots inside the skeletal structure, with freezing temperatures approaching and no insulation to keep the cold at bay. With no financial options left, David has even returned to work in hopes of earning enough to finish the repairs.
That’s when a Secret Santa heard their story. He asked the East Idaho News elves to go surprise David and Judy with an early Christmas gift. Check out the video in the player above!
