A middle school teacher in Idaho broke down in tears when strangers showed up at his classroom and surprised him just weeks before his open-heart surgery.
Rick Owens has taught students for 22 years. His students love him. The staff loves him. He takes on extra work at school because he cares about his students’ success.
Outside the classroom, he teaches CPR and swimming lessons. He has given so many people in his community these life-saving skills.
But now Rick needs help himself. He needs open-heart surgery before the end of the year. His surgery is scheduled for November 24th.
The problem is his insurance won’t cover all of it. Only four doctors can perform this surgery, and they are all out of his insurance network.
Rick and his wife Tanda both teach. They live simply. They have always given more than they received.
A local Secret Santa heard about Rick’s situation and sent the East Idaho News team to his classroom. The cameras came in while his eighth graders were studying the Mongols. Rick had no idea what was happening.
The team gave him a box to open. Inside were gift cards. One thousand dollars for Fred Meyer. One thousand dollars for Maverick gas stations.
Rick drives back and forth to Salt Lake City for doctor appointments. These cards will help with all that travel.
Then they handed him another gift. Rick started shaking. He opened it and saw a check for $10,000. His students watched their teacher cry. The money will cover his insurance deductibles.
You know what Rick said when doctors first told him about the surgery? “What are my students going to do? What do I do for my students?” That was his first thought. Not the cost. Not the recovery time of six to eight weeks. His students.
Secret Santa sent this message to Rick: “sending his love from his heart to your heart.” The hope is that Rick will come back and teach for another 25 years.
God sees the people who serve others without counting the cost. He knows their needs before they ask. Sometimes He answers through the kindness of strangers.
Let’s pray for Rick’s surgery and recovery. May God guide the doctors’ hands and bring Rick back to full health so he can return to the students who need him.
WATCH: Secret Santa Surprises Idaho Teacher Before Life-Saving Surgery
