ARVADA, Colo. — An 11-year-old girl penned a letter to Santa filled with heartache, asking him to stop her “sadness” after losing her father and grandmother in a house fire over the summer.
Brooklynn Alexander, 11, wrote her Christmas wish and dropped off her letter in Santa’s mailbox in her hometown of Arvada.
Amber Klein built the mailbox to ensure Santa received every letter written by kids in Arvada before Christmas.
“Every night, I send the letters off to Santa,” Klein said.
While helping Santa read through the letters, Klein came across Brooklynn’s wish, a heartfelt letter raw with pain.
“Santa, I’ve been suffering from depression and my anger issues have been bad lately. So, what I am trying to say is — I shouldn’t get presents and can you please stop my sadness,” Klein read in the letter.
In July, a fire tore through Brooklynn's home, killing her father and grandmother. A neighbor rescued her from inside. She was put on a ventilator and spent more than a week at the hospital.
The pain and anguish Brooklynn feels brought memories of Klein’s dad rushing back.
“My dad passed away in a house fire and I just immediately wanted to protect her,” Klein said.
Klein took to Facebook to track down Brooklynn. It didn’t take long for the two families to bond.
“I told her about my dad and how he died,” Klein said. “I showed her the necklace that I wear that has my dad’s ashes in it and now Brooklynn wants the same thing.”
Two lives, decades apart, found each other as Brooklynn learns to navigate her pain.
“I feel like whether it be my dad or Brooklynn’s dad, that they brought us together,” Kelin said.
Through tears, Brooklynn says Kelin’s story gives her hope that life will get better.
Brooklynn has since written a second letter to Santa. Her wish list includes a body pillow, fluffy socks and a paint-set with watercolors. She's also asking for letters from the public to help bring joy back into her life.
“It’s just really fun seeing letters from people that I don’t even know cause even though they don’t even know me, they care about the situation,” Brooklynn said.
This story was originally published by Adi Guajardo on KMGH in Denver.
