Lexington woman receives Christmas surprise

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) — In addition to caring for their patients, caregivers at CHI Saint Joseph Health go the extra mile during the holiday season, surprising 42 local families with gifts for Christmas.

“I see a lot of sadness around this time, a lot of depression with families that can’t make ends meet and then when we call them up and have an opportunity for them to have wonderful presents by different departments that are willing to take them on, it’s amazing,” said Project Coordinator Manager Jessica Hoskins.

Each department chooses a different family to buy gifts for during the holiday season. ABC 36 had the opportunity to meet an incredible woman who was just one of the recipients this year.

She told us a little about her story.

“I was diagnosed with cancer on February the 2nd, and then on April the 1st, my youngest son died in an auto accident. And so it’s been really, really hard to adjust to not having anyone at home. I just have too many empty seats at my table,” said Quantella Higgins.

Throughout her journey, Quantella Higgins remained resilient — standing as an inspiration to those around her.

“She’s an amazing lady. To go through everything she has gone through, she deserves this, she deserves more,” said Hoskins.

So when Higgins received the call about her gifts…

“I was totally shocked, I wasn’t expecting anything like this. It’s been a rough year, I will tell you that they have inspired me to continue to go on, and I mean it’s just a blessing to have someone to call me unexpectedly and they were like ‘Hey we’ve chosen you,’…I was totally shocked,” she said.

As Higgins continues her fight against cancer while staying strong for her grandchildren and spreading positivity to everyone she comes in contact with — she gets to bring home some Christmas joy from Saint Joseph Health.