SAND SPRINGS, Okla. — A Bixby man whose gift of kindness caught our attention and made national headlines last Christmas has one more gift to give.
You may recall that 2 News introduced you to Stephen Dunkelberg in 2023, when he put up Christmas lights for his entire street, all 22 houses on Stadium Drive in Bixby, for free.
"I had a bunch of extra lights, and I felt the best use for those lights would be to hang them on my neighbor's houses," said Dunkelberg.
Bixby's Stadium Drive is twinkling again this year, but Positively Oklahoma met up with Stephen over 30 miles away in Sand Springs, stringing up a surprise for a little girl he never met.
You see, 3-year-old Aria Newman has had a rough year. "I had Cancer. I wasn't getting better. The medicine helped, though," said Aria. Mom, Ashley Newman, said, "She had Acute Myeloid Leukemia. It was very rare. She was given a 3% survival rate, and she also has a nerve disease, so they had to be careful which chemo they used."
Aria received her first dose on her third birthday. Her family spent a good part of the year at Saint Jude. "She's very strong, spunky, full of personality, and the bravest person I know," said Ashley.
And the brave little Cancer warrior did not back down. "She was expected to be in treatment for two years, and it was only 8 months because it happened so quickly. Her body just responded really well to the chemo. Now she is a perfect normal child," said Ashley. "Cancer-free!" said Aria.
This family, which didn't think they'd be home for Christmas, now has much to celebrate. "She's our best gift. She's our miracle," said Ashley.
This leads us to Dunkelberg's gift. He had reached out to 2 News with an idea.
"I had extra time, and I ordered some lights, and I kind of wanted to do something else special with them," said Dunkelberg.
Since he was looking for a family to bless, Chin connected him to Aria with the help of the Real Okie Superheroes, a local non-profit.
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"Being a small part of her story is awesome," said Dunkelberg.
"I thought it was really nice that he offered. Aria loves Christmas lights, and we've never had them at our house, so she will be very excited," said Ashley.
When Dunkelberg learned that the little girl with bright blue eyes loved Bluey, he custom-designed something special.
"We're doing blue and orange to represent Bluey. I have a little inflatable, a 4-foot inflatable Bluey, that I think she'll really like," said Dunkelberg.
One hundred fifty lights, a few hours, and one inflatable later, Dunkelberg's Christmas gift was complete.
"I'm excited to see her reaction," said Dunkelberg.
This is how strangers became friends on a cold December night, counting their blessings and counting down to Christmas.
"3...2...1... Oh my gosh! That's Bluey!" said Aria.
"The house is so pretty! Thank you so much!" grinned the Newman family.
There's a little extra magic in the air in Sand Springs now. A shining example of what Christmas is all about.
"It's the best time of the year for me," said Dunkelberg.
"Merry Christmas!" said Aria.
You can check out Julie's original story from 2023 on Dunkelberg and his work on Stadium Lane in Bixby here.
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