Sarah Biren
Sarah Biren
December 11, 2023 ·  3 min read

Great Grandma Raises 6 Kids So Strangers Come In To Ease Her Pain

Great Grandma Ella Setzler is truly a hero in our time. At 72 years of age, she was a military widow raising all six of her great-grandchildren on her own in Las Vegas, Nevada. She has no family members to turn to for help. And despite the challenges, she believes her efforts are worthwhile. As she said, “They mean so much to me, they’re my heart, I had to rescue them.” During an interview, she didn’t want to give details on how they ended up in her care. However, she wasn’t able to earn much money on her own. And taking care of six children only increased her living expenses, from rent to utilities to car payments to food and other childcare bills. Plus, her home had a leak that required $900 to fix. There was not enough income to deal with all of this. Fortunately, Setzler had a friend, Alicestine Miller, also called Alice, looking out for her. “She’s hurting and I’m hurting ‘cos I can’t help her.” But Alice had an idea to gift Setzler with the help she needed.

Calling the Surprise Squad

Alice reached out to FOX5 Surprise Squad, a group that provides help for people based on nominations. And in 2018, they chose to help Ella Setzler, with the help of organizations Rebuilding Together Southern Nevada and Aqua Plumbing, who fixed the water leak for free and helped improve her financial situation. But that was just the beginning. Although the story is from years ago, the spirit of love and giving, especially around the holidays, is more prevalent than ever.

After hearing about the house improvements, Ella Setzler saw a limousine pull up to take her and Alice for a spa day. While she enjoyed some well-deserved relaxation, the Surprise Squad came to redecorate her home for Christmas, involving a deep clean, new furniture, carpets, and beds. As for the cherry on top, they brought in a Christmas tree, along with presents for the children, including a $500 gift card for each one. The house was transformed into a comfortable and welcoming home ready for the holidays, with finishing touches like framed photos of the children. [1]

Many showed up to help Ella. Image Credit: FOX5

“So Different and So Happy

When Ella saw the home, she cried with happiness and couldn’t wait for the kids to see it. “They are going to have a fit.” Plus, she said Christmas was going to be “so different and so happy” compared to previous years.

There was still another surprise in store. United Nissan offered to pay rent for the family home for a full year. The owners of United Nissan were inspired by Ella’s kindness and selflessness. And she was beyond grateful in return.

“The Lord has heard my prayers! Trust in the Lord and He’ll make a way for you! He made a way for me,” she exclaimed. 

With the water issue and rent taken care of, her expenses prominently decreased. But more importantly, she and her great-grandchildren enjoyed an amazing and happy holiday. And when they saw the house, their faces shined with joy. “It’s a big Christmas miracle,” said one of the great-granddaughters.

Ella Setzler. Image Credit: Fox5

The Greatest Gift of All

But even more so, the kids are excited to see their amazing great-grandma feel so loved and relaxed. “It’s not about presents. It’s about loving your family,” said one of the great-grandkids.

The story touched thousands of people who were overjoyed to see the family so happy.  “72 years old raising 6 children!  I can’t even imagine myself in that position.  What a wonderful thing they did for her,  paying off her water bill and fixing the problem so that she won’t get bills like that anymore, taking care of her rent for a year… furnishing, and decorating her house.   What a beautiful story and what an amazing woman!” said a commenter on YouTube.

This video made me so happy to see she has such an amazing friend that truly cares about her and she deserved this so much and I’m glad knowing that she’s a lot happier and stress-free. I’ve never seen a more deserving person,” said another comment.

You can see Great Grandma Ella’s surprise gift in action here:

Sources

  1. FOX5 SURPRISE SQUAD: Great Grandma Rescues 6 Kids, Receives Christmas Miracle!YouTube. FOX5 Las Vegas. December 21, 2018