East Idaho News
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After multiple brain surgeries and a near-fatal setback, a Secret Santa helps single mom rebuild
Posted
December 16, 2025
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5:01Now Playing#eastidahonews #SecretSanta #Christmas
A local Secret Santa is giving $1 million to deserving people in eastern Idaho this holiday season. Every day, from now until the end of the year, the East Idaho News elves will be delivering gifts from Secret Santa and we’ll be sharing the surprise videos here.
Crystal is a single mother raising three teenagers, and for much of the past eight years, simply getting through each day has been a battle.
In 2017, while working at a cancer center, Crystal’s life took an unexpected turn. One of the doctors she worked with noticed she was frequently tripping and losing her balance. Concerned, he insisted she get an MRI. That test led to a life-altering diagnosis: Chiari malformation with pseudo-cerebri tumor, a condition that caused dangerous pressure to build around her brain and spinal cord due to excess cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).
To relieve that pressure, surgeons were forced to remove part of the back of her skull, allowing the fluid to flow more freely. Even then, the problems didn’t stop. Crystal endured relentless headaches as her body continued to overproduce CSF. At times, doctors had to insert a needle to drain the fluid manually. Eventually, shunts were placed into the ventricles of her brain to continuously divert the fluid into her abdomen so it could be absorbed.
The surgeries and complications took a heavy toll. Crystal often had to lie flat on her back for days at a time. She suffered hearing and vision problems and underwent a total of five brain surgeries over several years, all while trying to remain present for her children.
Last August, doctors made the decision to remove the shunts in another major surgery. During the procedure, Crystal suffered six strokes and nearly lost her life. Her recovery has been long and grueling, taking more than a year of rehabilitation and healing. Thankfully, her body has since stabilized, and her CSF production has finally normalized.
This past summer marked a turning point. Crystal slowly worked her way back to full-time employment, determined to regain stability for her family. But just as things began to improve, new challenges arose. Both her truck and her car suffered transmission failures, leaving her without reliable transportation. The vehicles are not worth repairing, creating another financial burden she has no easy way to overcome.
Secret Santa heard about Crystal and asked the East Idaho News elves to surprise her. Check out the video in the player above!
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