A Secret Santa in Idaho recently blessed a woman who has been through a lot but continues living as an example to others.
Teresa has endured years of pain and lost the use of her hands nearly 40 years ago, East Idaho News reported Friday.
Doctors initially believed she had carpal tunnel syndrome, a condition caused by pressure on a person’s median nerve. Therefore, she had surgery on both hands, but that did not help, so it was treated as arthritis.
Once she lost the ability to lift her arms very high, it was discovered she had a malformation, meaning her spinal fluid was unable to travel through her spine.
Doctors later removed part of Teresa’s skull and raised her brain, but her arms and hands were never the same. Another surgery nicked a nerve which caused strained mobility in one of her legs.
One morning a few years ago, Teresa’s husband noticed she was not breathing, and once they made it to the hospital, she suffered a stroke, which is a serious medical emergency requiring immediate treatment.
It was later determined she sometimes stopped breathing for long periods while sleeping. She now uses a costly machine to help her breathe at night.
Despite all of her health problems, she has remained faithful to her job as an elementary school secretary.
When the outlet’s Nate Eaton appeared at the school in Idaho Falls recently with a check for $20,000 to help pay for the machine, Teresa was shocked.
She opened the gift and looked at Eaton in disbelief, saying, “Oh my goodness. It is a lot of money! Thank you so much.”
Teresa added, “I never thought anything like this would happen to me.”
Meanwhile, social media users expressed their joy over the gift, one person writing, “She seems so kind and humble! I hope she knows she’s influencing so many people’s lives for good!”
“She was so appreciative! Thank you Secret Santa and Nate and helpers!” another commented.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.