Christmas Day is interrupted for mom nicknamed ‘Sunshine’ with surprise from a Secret Santa
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A local Secret Santa is giving $1 million to deserving people in eastern Idaho this holiday season. Every day since the beginning of November, the East Idaho News elves have delivered gifts from Secret Santa and we’ve shared the surprises here.
Today is our last surprise and it’s for a woman named Heather, who is affectionally known as “Sunshine.”
Heather earned the name for the way she brightens every room she enters. Growing up, she filled her community with music — singing in school and community choirs, performing with a children’s chorus, and taking lead roles in musicals. In college, she joined a show choir and even toured internationally with a USO musical group.
But after putting her career on hold to raise her eight children, Heather continued to share her voice at local events and with her family until last year, when she lost a front tooth. Embarrassed by her appearance and unable to afford dental work, she stopped singing publicly and rarely smiled.
Despite working full-time to support her family, Heather has faced a series of financial setbacks. Medical bills, a broken furnace, car repairs, and preparations for her son’s upcoming wedding have repeatedly pushed dental care to the bottom of her priority list. Last winter, her family relied on a single space heater to stay warm, and fixing the furnace remains her main concern.
But this holiday season, Secret Santa decided to step in and asked the East Idaho News elves to surprise Heather. We went over on Christmas Day with a gift. Check out the video in the player above!
