Kids being treated at the University of New Mexico Hospital got a special visitor on Wednesday morning, when Santa Claus flew in by helicopter to drop off presents to the young patients.
“The helicopter is my kind of hop-around-town sleigh,” St. Nick said. “My real sleigh is at Kirtland Air Force Base. I keep it up there. It's in a hangar. It's got guards, and they keep feeding the reindeer like candy and cookies, and I say 'No! Apples and oats! That's what they really like.' But the guards, the people at Kirtland, have been absolutely wonderful.”
The pediatric playroom on UNMH’s sixth floor had been covered in holiday decorations with a large Christmas tree in the center of the room. Mr. Kris Kringle himself sat in front of the tree, giving kids turns on his lap before gifting them a present each.
Lexi Hargrave got a stuffed puppy, which her dad Brad said is perfect.
“We have a little Shih Tzu at home named Roxy,” he said, “and she misses her dog, so this might help a little bit.”
Lexi just turned 6 in November while she was at UNMH being treated for Stage 4 neuroblastoma. Lexi’s Mom, Monica, works at Sandoval Regional Medical Center, which is the other UNMH location Santa visits every year. Brad said that made this visit extra special.
“Last year, before we got our diagnosis, Lexi and her sister met with Santa there,” he said, “and he walked them in, hand-in-hand. So today to be able to come back and see Santa again and be familiar with Santa, it meant a lot.”
Santa said there’s a reason he has been coming here for years.
“I come in here because you guys have the best chile in the world, and oh, I love those biscochitos. They are my absolute favorite cookie. So kids, if you're gonna leave Santa some cookies — biscochitos, just sayin.”
The event was coordinated by Felecia Martinez, an employee outreach and recognition specialist with UNMH, who said it’s been going for almost a decade now.
“This is a hard time of the year for these families,” Martinez said. “So we really like to encourage Santa to come and spread that Christmas cheer. A lot of these kiddos aren't going to be able to be home for their Christmas season. So it's being able to say that Santa loves you no matter where you are.”
For Brad and Monica Hargrave, who said they hope to be home with Lexi and her sister for Christmas, the time of year also comes with a message.
“Just be kind,” Brad said. “You never know what anybody's going through.”
“And if you need anything,” Monica replied, “reach out. Everybody's here for you. The community is amazing. You're not alone.”
Support for this coverage comes from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
Note: The University of New Mexico holds KUNM's license, but we cover them like any other organization.
