Santa Claus and Morgan Hill Police helped make Christmas
brighter for two young people and their families, who are battling
childhood cancer this holiday season.
Santa Claus and Morgan Hill Police helped make Christmas brighter for two young people and their families, who are battling childhood cancer this holiday season.
St. Nick, traveling on a land-boat provided by Boy Scout Troop 799, was escorted from the Morgan Hill police station to Cordova Court in west Morgan Hill Friday, where he delivered Christmas presents to 3-year-old Hailey Abrego and 16-year-old Jordan Salazar, their brothers and sisters and their parents.
“It takes away the stress of being sick, a little bit,” said Salazar, a leukemia patient who just returned to his Del Monte Avenue home from a chemotherapy treatment Thursday. Salazar frequently requires a wheelchair to move around, as he developed a hip injury as a result of the cancer treatment. But Friday he spent the entire afternoon on his feet, even helping his younger siblings climb onto Santa’s ship to tell him they’ve been good this year.
Salazar and his brother Andrew, 11, and sisters Angel, 10, and Margaret, 7, were all smiles as Santa Claus and Morgan Hill police handed out wrapped presents that formed a growing pile.
Abrego completed her most recent chemo treatment earlier this month, and was wearing a feeding tube when Santa and his entourage arrived at her home. Despite the energy-draining treatment process, Abrego was still able to shout, “Woo-hoo!” when Santa arrived, and jumped up and down with excitement when her sister Hannah, 9, unwrapped a Nintendo Wii video game system that was delivered Friday.
“Hailey’s probably on top of the world right now, seeing Santa face to face,” said her father Raymond Abrego, adding that the family has been through a “long haul” since the girl’s diagnosis of a brain tumor in June, an operation to remove the tumor and subsequent treatment to prevent a recurrence of the disease.
“If you could switch places with her, you would,” Raymond Abrego said. “The community, friends and family have been a big help.”
Hailey has three more chemo treatments in the coming months, he added. Salazar has more than a year of treatments left.
The Christmas delivery was organized by the Morgan Hill Police Officers Association and the Community Service Officers Association. It was the public safety employee organizations’ second “Share the Spirit” event, said MHPOA president Scott Silva.
The organizations raised about $2,000 in donations from the community to provide the presents delivered Friday, Silva said. Local corporate donors include Morgan Hill’s Target and Nob Hill stores, and Gilroy’s Best Buy.
“We want to bring joy to (the children’s) lives, help them get better and give them a chance to enjoy life,” he said.
Dr. John Quick of Animal Care Center even donated a Chihuahua puppy named Brownie to give to Abrego’s family. All of the assembled children gathered around Brownie when he arrived with Santa, taking turns holding and petting him.
“Police officers do a lot of other things besides give traffic tickets,” added Police Chief Bruce Cumming, who is not a POA member. “What you’re doing for these families and kids is remarkable, and you’re making a tremendous difference.”
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger sent a letter to the police organizations, through his Bay Area representative Gina Antonini, applauding their charitable efforts.
Santa’s transportation was provided by Morgan Hill Boy Scouts Troop 799.
“We’re happy to be out here helping out people that aren’t as fortunate as us, and seeing a lot of kids with smiles,” said Boy Scout Cavan Howay, 17.
Unable to stop smiling was Karina Salazar, who has struggled to raise her four children by herself while her son Jordan undergoes treatment.
“Everything’s been so hard – to see your son be so strong, seeing he’s not a teenager like other kids,” she said.
