Idaho Secret Santa Grants Single Mom’s Last Wish After Death

The generous “Secret Santa” of eastern Idaho is keeping the gift-giving going with yet another heroic donation made to fulfill the final wishes of a mom who had died suddenly.

Sara Illum was a “wonderful woman,” East Idaho News’s Nate Eaton wrote Tuesday. “She was extremely family oriented and her pride and joy was her boys, Jalen and Kaden. She was a single mother whose whole world revolved around them. Sara raised them to be kind, respectful, thoughtful, and extremely hard working. One thing she always wanted was for Kaden to get his college degree.”

Unfortunately, Sara lost her life at the age of 47 in a tragic accident in February. At the time, Kaden was a year away from graduating from Idaho State University but had to take a break that semester following his mother’s sudden death. 

Kaden works four to five nights a week at a restaurant with Jalen to pay for his last year of school and often brings his class assignments with him to his job. Sara’s wish was to “proudly see her son walk across the stage and receive his mechanical engineering degree,” the local outlet reported.

Her wish was granted when the Good Samaritan, who made headlines this month for donating $1 million to families in need around Idaho, heard of Illum’s story.

Eaton, along with a camera crew decked out in Santa hats, surprised Kaden while he was working at the Sandpiper Restaurant in Idaho Falls.

The young man was shocked to find out that his last two semesters had been fully paid for, with a check for $2,000 to help him commute back and forth to school.

“Oh my God … thank you very much,” Kaden said, stunned at the anonymous donor’s generosity.

He repeated his thanks several times while grinning at the life-changing checks before him.

The Secret Santa has also given similarly amazing gifts to several other Idahoans, including a mother of a special needs child, a student from West Africa who could not afford his medical bills after being injured, and a widow who had lost all five of her children.