East Idaho News
@eastidnews·585K subscribers·7.7K videos
Secret Santa surprise for family who lost everything, even son's accordion, when home was destroyed
Posted
December 11, 2023
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597,887
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December 11, 2023
597,887
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11:28Now Playing#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.
Valera and Galina are the parents of three kids between 9-16. They recently came to the United States from Ukraine.
They had a home, which is very rare in Ukraine (most people live in apartments), but it was destroyed by a Russian tank.
Valera was a construction worker and Galina was a nurse. They’ve had many friends, family members, and close associates killed as they are from Bucha, where a large-scale massacre of Ukrainian civilians occurred. Bucha is just outside of Kiev and was the site of some of the fiercest fighting since the Russians invaded.
When the Russians left, hundreds if not thousands of dead Ukrainian citizens were found in the area. There were signs of torture, abuse, and other unspeakable events. This is what they left behind.
Valera and Galina lost everything and ended up in Idaho Falls where Valera works in construction and Galina worked in a potato cellar. The kids are in school and all of them are adjusting to their life.
Secret Santa asked the East Idaho News elves to pay Valera and Galina a visit - and we brought a special guest with an accordion for their 9-year-old son. Check out the unforgettable surprise in the video player above.
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