#eastidahonews #secretsanta #surprise
The EastIdahoNews.com team is busy helping a local Secret Santa give $1 million to deserving people in eastern Idaho this holiday season.
Alesia is an amazing wife and mom of four children and one angel baby. In April 2021, their family was blessed with a tiny blessing they named Briggs. He had struggles from the beginning and spent a couple of weeks in the NICU before being able to come home.
After enduring many trips to doctors and hospitals for sickness and testing, and being intubated and flown to Utah for a month long stay in the PICU (where we weren’t sure he would survive), they finally got results of a brain and genetic disorder that will consist of life-long challenges. At 2 ½ years old, he is learning to walk but is not verbal. He has weekly physical, occupational, and speech therapies where he has had to learn the simplest things like how to sit up and he is learning sign language to communicate. He is strictly G-tube fed with food or liquids orally and wears oxygen when sleeping.
With all of his struggles, he is the happiest child and is always smiling. Along with all of this, Alesia finds time to serve others, her church and community along with working two part-time jobs and taking care of her other three children. She is the first one to take food to others, served many years in PTO and other school functions, and organized and oversaw youth sports programs. She does anything she can to help when and where there is a need.
Alesia's husband is a farm manager working a lot of hours to provide for their family. When he isn’t busy at work, he is a volunteer EMT and firefighter for the city of Aberdeen and also a volunteer with Bingham County Search and Rescue.
Living near Aberdeen it is a huge cost for fuel for the many weekly trips to appointments and other activities over 40 miles. They also have many other costs for specialized food, medical supplies and other needs.
Secret Santa asked us to track Alesia down and deliver an early Christmas gift. We found her at the doctor's office! Watch the surprise in the video player above.