'Santa' who lost daughter to cancer visits kids

Ramon Rivera spent Christmas Eve spreading holiday cheer to sick children at a Bronx hospital. He donned a Santa costume and delivered presents and listened to Christmas wishes at the intensive care

News 12 Staff

Dec 25, 2014, 3:55 AM

Updated 3,640 days ago

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Ramon Rivera spent Christmas Eve spreading holiday cheer to sick children at a Bronx hospital.
He donned a Santa costume and delivered presents and listened to Christmas wishes at the intensive care unit of the Children's Hospital at Montefiore. The choice to spend part of his holiday at the hospital was natural for Rivera.
His daughter, Leandra, who lost her battle with cancer in 2007, is the driving force behind his visits to other sick children.
On his recent visit, Rivera checked on a 3-week-old baby and dropped off a gift to another sick child.
Rivera hopes that the Leandra Foundation will become a household name, and that his work will help spread awareness about leukemia.