GRANBY — Just before Christmas Eve, Santa swapped his sleigh and reindeer for a fire truck and Granby’s police and firefighters to deliver a little extra magic for child cancer survivor Evan Caraballo.
The first responders surprised 18-month-old Caraballo and his parents Stephanie Wilson and Christian Caraballo with 30 different toys, clothes, books and other presents on Tuesday afternoon. This is the family’s first holiday at home after a series of surgeries and treatment for liver cancer, and Santa’s visit ensured it was a holiday to remember.
“It was a magical experience because Evan was awake for this one,” Wilson said. “He heard the fire trucks and ambulance coming down, he was just smiles cheek to cheek. He was so happy.”
The beginning of Caraballo’s life has been marked with one hospital visit after another. Since he was 8 months old, Caraballo has undergone several medical procedures, including a tracheostomy and cleft palate surgery. Wilson has taken her son back to Boston Children’s Hospital eight times since their first arrival home on July 8, 2025.
The infant finished chemotherapy for liver cancer three weeks ago and officially went into remission. Wilson said she will need to watch his kidneys, but she hopes this is the end of her son’s series of health battles. Through it all, Caraballo has remained a very happy baby.
“Nothing has teared him down. He’s always smiling, always kicking,” Wilson said. “He’s been a warrior through all of this, and it’s funny to know that his home nurse is Greek , and Evan in Greek is warrior. It’s a perfect name.”
The drive for Caraballo was an additional fundraiser from the Stuff-A-Cruiser events the public safety departments typically run, Powers said. This year, the department filled a police cruiser and command vehicle, then drove their haul down to Neighbors Helping Neighbors.
“This is the first time we’ve done Christmas presents from Santa, but it’s something we look forward to doing more in the future,” Powers said. “We know that there are people in the town that are in need and we want to be able to help them as first responders.”
Wilson said the donated gifts are “so Evan.” She looks forward to many more Christmases with her family.
“With him just being 18 months and he has this journey already, I cannot wait to see the rest of his life journey,” she said.
