Maria lost her beloved husband and the father of her son in July 2021.
Kevin Carter Ryan was involved in a tragic diving accident that sadly took his life.
The 26-year-old man, who was about to get his BA degree in Bio-Medical Science, dreamed of continuing his studies in medicine.
In fact, he had just started applying for medical school.
At the same time, and while he was a dedicated church member, he was an active community member.
He always sought to help others whether that was physically or emotionally.
Kevin loved his wife and son above all. His main concern was for them to be taken good care of and to be happy.
When he passed away, Maria and her 12-month-old son at the time, Ethan, moved from Alabama to Idaho, where Maria’s mother lives.
Grandma, Maria, and Ethan moved in together so that the young widow could receive good support during the hard time she was going through.
The young woman was also studying to pursue her dream and be a nurse, but at the same time, she worked as an Uber driver to make ends meet.
However, she didn’t have a car- thankfully, her mom let her borrow hers when she needed it- which made moving around quite inconvenient.
That’s when Idaho’s “Secret Santa” stepped in.
Somehow, the Secret Santa, an unknown person who is committed to helping deserving people in need in East Idaho, found out about them and decided to do something for them.
So, the team from East Idaho News, who every year help Secret Santa spend $1m for people who really need it, prepared to surprise Maria with several incredible gifts that would make a big difference in her everyday life.
Of course, no gift can make up for her loss, but some money for groceries and gas, as well as a car that she really needed, could take some burden off of her and help her and her son have a better life.
So, in December 2021, the team rang Maria’s mom’s bell, and a woman opened the door. When she was told that they were there for her daughter, she immediately called her.
Maria greeted them and introduced them to her 18-month-old son.
She told them that they were doing “alright” and that she really liked Idaho.
After that, it was time for Secret Santa’s elves to give away the gifts.
First, they gave Maria a few generous gift cards, and a check. In total, it was $6k, which was divided into gas gift cards, groceries gift cards, and cash!
Finally, Maria was handed the key to her brand-new car and she just couldn’t believe it.
She got emotional and she just couldn’t believe how lucky she was.
The young mom asked the team to thank Secret Santa on her behalf, and she hugged everyone because she couldn’t hug him.
Watch the emotional surprise in the video below!
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