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Arizona man fullfils Mexican girl's Christmas wishes sent over the wall tied to a balloon
A girl in Mexico wrote her Christmas wish list on a piece of paper, attached it to a balloon and sent it out in the world. Her "Santa" found it.
The 8-year-old Dayami lives in Nogales, Mexico and wrote her wish list out in the hopes that her letter would reach Santa Clause.
Her balloon made it across the U.S.-Mexico border where it got tangled in a tree and found by 60-year-old Randy Heiss who was out on a hike with his dog.
He got his wife to translate the list and learned that the girl wanted "enchantimals," clothes, slime and art supplies.
#LoMásvisto: Randy Heiss, quien hizo el descubrimiento de la misiva, se decidió a encontrar a la dueña y pidió ayuda a su esposa, quien es hablante del españolhttps://t.co/c0cP8qamoJ
— Noticieros Televisa (@NTelevisa_com) December 25, 2018
Read more on our Twitter account, @amomama_usa. Based on the wind direction that day, Heiss calculated that the balloon came from Nogales.
Tracking the girl down proved easier than Heiss had thought. He contacted a radio station in Nogales who put arranged for Heiss to meet with Dayami and her family.
Before leaving on the 45-minute drive from Patagonia, Arizona to Nogales, Mexico, Heiss stopped at Walmart to buy a few presents.
Randy Heiss brought several gifts to the girl and her younger sister with the help of social media and a radio station. https://t.co/H7asb4yd4n
— newstalk560klvi (@newstalk560klvi) December 25, 2018
He bought most of the items on Dayami's list, except for the Enchantimals, which were sold out. Armed with the toys, Heiss and his wife hit the road.
Heiss told reporters that Dayami and her 4-year-old sister were surprised when they saw him, and the experience made his day. He said:
"Their eyes were wide open with wonder. Like 'Oh my gosh, this really did work!' It was a beautiful, beautiful experience."
8-year-old Dayami got a big surprise after sending a letter to Santa with a balloon. Her list didn't make it to the North Pole, but to Randy Heiss, who found it across the border in Arizona. With help from a radio station, he made a special toy delivery.@KathyParkNBC reports. pic.twitter.com/hI43SUXdiz
— NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt (@NBCNightlyNews) December 24, 2018
Not only could they do something specials for two girls over Christmas, but the experience was also cathartic for the couple.
They had lost their only son nearly a decade ago and had no other children or grandchildren. The couple said there was a "gaping hole" in their lives.
While Heiss changed someone's live across the border, and President Trump is determined to put that wall up, former President Obama brought Christmas cheer to children in Washington.
Obama showed up at the Children's National Hospital where he distributed toys and spent some quality time with the children.
In a similar vein, Planting Peace and Occupy Democrats are raising funds through a crowdfunding page to send Christmas gifts to migrant children.
For every child who gets a present, the organization sends a piece of coal to President Trump, who calls migrants hardcore killers and terrorists.
