An 86-year-old great-grandmother with severe dementia became briefly lucid after encountering Santa Claus during a family photo session earlier this month.
‘Every time Santa got close to her, she would nuzzle in and close her eyes as if there was no place she would rather be,’ Hartsocks Photography Studio recently posted to their Facebook page.
The Albuquerque based business said the heartwarming photo session took place on December 10 with Karen Rangel, her family and the store’s Santa who was hired for the holiday season.
The Albuquerque based business said the heartwarming photo session took place on December 10
Karen Rangel, 86, came with her family and took pictures with Santa who was hired for the holiday season
Rangel’s son, Steve, later said that his mother’s affection for St. Nick has spanned decades
‘It was so sweet and emotional for Santa and our whole staff.’ Hartsocks Photography Studio added that that Santa was so overwhelmed by emotion, he cried after Karen left.
Rangel was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2014 and was recently put on hospice care, according to ABC News.
One person wrote that it was ‘the sweetest thing I’ve seen’ and ‘Proof that the magic of this season is still alive!
But to the family’s surprise, the encounter with Santa appeared to spark a moment of Rangel’s former self, who held the bearded man’s arm and wouldn’t let go.
‘She recognized him, and she talked to him and even afterward she was saying, ‘I miss Santa. I want to see Santa,” Linda Rangel said of her mother-in-law.
Rangel’s son, Steve, later told ABC News that his mother’s affection for St. Nick has spanned decades, recalling since childhood how Karen cherished the holiday season.
‘It started when we were little,’ Steve said. ‘And even when we were older, she continued even going by herself to the mall and having her picture taken. She had a frame at home and each year she would change the photo out and give us copies.’
The photo session at Hartsocks sparked a wave of positive comments on the studio’s Facebook page, with one person writing that it was ‘the sweetest thing I’ve seen.’
‘Proof that the magic of this season is still alive!’ another person quipped.
The encounter with Santa appeared to spark a moment of Rangel’s former self, who held the bearded man’s arm and wouldn’t let go
Rangel was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2014 and was recently put on hospice care
Hartsocks Photography Studio said that that Santa was so overwhelmed by emotion, he cried after Karen left