After Dad Suffers Aneurysm, 13 Siblings Gifted $5K from Secret Santa
Idaho resident Rachel Keppner is a busy woman — an extremely busy woman. According to her website, she’s the mother of over a dozen children.
That’s why when her husband was hospitalized unexpectedly, she was left with more on her plate than most of us could imagine.
“I love and value my role as a wife and mother above all other things in my life!” she wrote on her website. “As a mother of 13 children, I stay very busy homeschooling my children and caring for my home and family, but I also enjoy creating valuable content for other mothers and homeschoolers.
“I have spoken at homeschool conferences since 2007, and love encouraging other homeschooling mothers both locally, and online. I enjoy writing and have created homeschool curricula for History, Shakespeare and English Literature, as well as maintaining several blogs online.”
Keppner found herself in rough waters when her husband, Russell, suffered a brain aneurysm in early 2018.
Thankfully, he survived. However, the damage proved severe enough that he had to be hospitalized for months.
That left Keppner alone to care for her many children and to secure a steady income.
According to East Idaho News, Russell was able to make it home prior to Christmas but has a lot of recovering to do before he can resume his normal activities.
But that doesn’t mean that Keppner and her kids are without help. East Idaho News sent reporter Nate Eaton and a camera crew to track the Keppners down at an IHOP in Ammon, Idaho.
“This family has just done so much to stay together, to be frugal, and to do the best they can,” Eaton told the camera. “We’ve only heard positive things about them.”
“They don’t know that we’re here. We did some stealth tracking to find them here at the restaurant.”
Why had they gone to so much trouble? A Secret Santa had donated $5,000 to the family.
They found a very surprised Keppner clan enjoying a meal at the breakfast restaurant.
When one of the crew handed Rachel a box with a bow on it, she opened it and found a long slip of paper — a check.
Her hand flew to her mouth and as the tears started to fall, she whispered four heartfelt words: “Thank you very much.”
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