Woman Knew She Wouldn’t Live to See Another Christmas, So She Asked Secret Santa for Help Surprising Her Husband

Mar. 15, 2025

Kjerstin Cook.Photo:Coltrin Mortuary & Crematory

Coltrin Mortuary & Crematory

A Secret Santa request for a late woman’s husband was recently granted — and the heartwarming story truly represents the season of giving.

Idaho wife and momKjerstin Cook"passed away peacefully on February 11, 2024, after a valiant battle with ALS," according to her obituary. But, a few weeks before she died at 46, she wrote a letter to a local Secret Santa on behalf of her husband, Dustin Cook,East Idaho Newsreported.

“I’m blessed beyond measure. I have no words to describe any of this, other than Kjerstin, this was so amazing," he told the outlet. “I’m blessed to have had her in my life for 30 years.”

“Back in 2020 I started passing out. Over the past almost four years, my health has continued to deteriorate to the point that I need full-time care. I’m a quadriplegic and I can’t eat regular food. Finally after years of specialist after specialist I finally got a diagnosis of ALS,” she wrote.

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“The doctor gave me three to six months and I am on the fourth month so understanding that I won’t be here for another Christmas, I would like to nominate Dustin Cook for all the service he has provided over the past years,” her letter read.

Kjerstin, who wrote the letter using her eyes and an iPad because she had lost her ability to speak during her final months, said that before her health issues began, the couple had “saved a little bit of money to do some fun things to our backyard.”

“My request for Secret Santa is for Dustin to have a comfortable shady spot to read his book," she added. “He’s the most giving [and] compassionate person I have ever known.”

Her friend went on to add that Kjerstin’s letter “does not really touch the amount of love and service he provided her” and that he “somehow managed to always comfort” her, especially in her final months.

Dustin, a local police officer, was recently presented with the special gift — up to $15,000 of free landscaping work.

Upon receiving the gift, Dustin, who had no idea that his late wife had written the letter, was brought to tears when it was read back to him. “She was incredible, super incredible,” he said, visibly emotional.

In her obituary, Kjerstin was describedin her obituaryas “fiercely devoted to her three boys-Dustin, Dylan, and Dallas.”

“I just hope this inspires others to do good. Kjerstin had phrases on the wall of our home that said, ‘Do Good’ and ‘Believe there is Good in the World’ with the words ‘Be the Good’ highlighted,” he tells PEOPLE in a statement. “That’s something she always did and we will continue her legacy.”

source: people.com