Beloved wrestling coach gets surprise from a Secret Santa as he's walking into cancer treatment
December 20, 2025
67,679
7,675
429
11.97%
Search the Record
IndexedEvery word spoken in this episode is indexed. Type any phrase to jump straight to the moment it was said.
Type any word or phrase that may have been spoken. Click a result to seek the player to that exact moment.
Try a name, a topic, or a quoted line
East Idaho News Episodes Around December 20, 2025
See what was published immediately before and after this episode.
3:19Now PlayingBeloved wrestling coach gets surprise from a Secret Santa as he's walking into cancer treatment
YouTube Description
as posted by the channel#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.
James and his wife, Misti, moved to Grace in 2018 and quickly became an integral part of the school district. Both are teachers, and together they have played a major role in shaping the lives of countless students.
James serves as the high school’s head wrestling coach, while Misti coaches wrestling at the junior high level and leads the high school girls wrestling team.
Colleagues and families say the couple is known for their selflessness, always willing to give their time and energy to help students reach their potential — both on and off the mat.
Three years ago, James was diagnosed with prostate cancer. The disease quickly metastasized to his spine, leading to extensive radiation and chemotherapy treatments. Last spring, James was declared in remission, but the relief was short-lived. Doctors later discovered his cancer markers were rising again, prompting him to seek specialized care at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. Further testing revealed the cancer had spread to his lymph nodes.
The repeated travel to Minnesota and the ongoing cost of treatment have depleted the family’s savings.
James and Misti are parents to three children. One is still at home attending high school, while the other two are currently serving LDS missions.
Despite their own challenges, friends say the couple has never stopped serving others and has never asked for help themselves.
A Secret Santa asked the East Idaho News elves to surprise James with an early Christmas gift. Check out the video in the player above.
► Support East Idaho News
► Subscribe to East Idaho News
► Get East Idaho News merch
► Download our free app
► Like us on Facebook
► Follow us on X
► Follow us on Instagram
► Subscribe to our free newsletter
Guests & Subjects Covered
Sentinel Indexing in Progress
Metadata and chapters are available. Claim extraction for this episode is pending.
All video content is delivered via YouTube embedded players in accordance with the YouTube Terms of Service. Sentinel provides research tools that promote discovery and accountability across political media.