A hardworking single mother who suddenly lost her son was “blessed” by a generous “Secret Santa” in eastern Idaho who gifted her a headstone, grocery money, and a new car.
The East Idaho News team surprised Theresa, who recently lost her son at the age of 21 due to an asthma attack, while she was at work at a Rexburg assisted living facility this week:
Theresa looked shocked to see anchor Nate Eaton with his camera crew enter what she thought was just a meeting at her job — and even more shocked when he handed her $1,000 in grocery store gift cards.
“Oh my gosh… wow,” she said in disbelief.
She was even more shocked when Eaton showed her a check for another $1,000.
“Oh my goodness. Thank you… thank you so much. Oh my gosh, I feel so blessed,” the grieving mom said.
Eaton then handed her a gift certificate for a gravestone for her son, which she was struggling to afford.
Theresa immediately placed her hand on her heart and smiled, saying, “Thank you so much.”
“Pick out whatever one you want for his gravesite, and Secret Santa will pay for it,” Eaton told her.
“We’re going to let you get back to work, but before we go I want to give you one other gift,” he said, before dropping the biggest surprise yet.
A Honda CR-V SUV was waiting for Theresa outside to replace her old vehicle with 215,000 miles on it.
“Oh, my goodness. This is — oh my gosh. I am so blessed,” Theresa said. “Thank you, Secret Santa. Thank you for the headstone. Means a lot to me. Thank you for the car. Thank you for the groceries. Love you.”
