The anonymous eastern Idaho Secret Santa is giving away $1 million this holiday season to people in need. One family receiving a surprise is Mindy and Steven’s, whose 3-year-old son has been diagnosed with high-risk neuroblastoma.
The boy was taken to an Idaho Falls emergency room and then transported by ambulance to Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City for further testing, according to East Idaho News. Doctors found tumors throughout his body, including in the bones of his skull and face. He began receiving blood transfusions and chemotherapy soon after the diagnosis.
A Yearlong Road Between Idaho Falls and Salt Lake City
The family’s treatment and travel schedule is expected to continue for more than a year, according to East Idaho News. Mindy and Steven have three daughters as well as their son, and will be traveling between Idaho Falls and Primary Children’s Hospital. Mindy had recently completed her online degree and master’s and was looking for work when her son became ill.
Support for Families Traveling for Care
Families going to Primary Children’s Hospital may have access to on-site and nearby support. Intermountain Health says the hospital’s Ronald McDonald Family Room is free for parents of patients in its pediatric hematology, oncology and cancer units; overnight stays are arranged through unit social workers. Ronald McDonald House Mountain West also offers free lodging, meals and shuttle service to select area hospitals in Salt Lake City. A hospital referral is required, and families must live at least 60 miles from the House.
Mindy has put her job search on hold to care for her son as treatment continues, the report said.
Secret Santa Steps In
That's exactly what happened here. As noted by East Idaho News, the Secret Santa behind the program is giving away $1 million this holiday season and heard about Mindy and Steven's situation before asking the outlet's staff — referred to in the article as the East Idaho News elves — to go surprise her. It's part of a broader effort this year in which the local Secret Santa is giving away $1 million to people across eastern Idaho who, as the outlet put it, deserve a little extra magic this Christmas.
The Secret Santa program has been a fixture in the region since 2015, when it gave away $100,000, with the total growing every year since; more than $6.6 million has been gifted overall, the outlet's Secret Santa FAQ states. The person behind it is described as an eastern Idaho resident and native Idahoan who funds the gifts personally, with the money coming directly from him rather than from donations.
How the Program Works
Per the FAQ, recipients must live in eastern Idaho and have a true need, and nominations have to come from someone other than the nominee. Nominations for this year's giveaway must be received by December 15, 2026. The program also states that Secret Santa pays all gift and sales taxes on what's given out, so recipients aren't taxed by the IRS on the gifts they receive.
For now, Mindy and Steven's family is focused on getting through the year ahead — chemotherapy appointments, hospital stays in Salt Lake City, and the ordinary demands of raising three daughters alongside a 3-year-old son in treatment. The surprise from Secret Santa won't change the road in front of them, but for one family navigating a diagnosis they never saw coming, it's a reminder that someone noticed.
