A longtime Levittown Santa Claus and his family rallied to keep a tradition up after he was diagnosed with a rare and potentially deadly form of cancer.
Charles Klimas is known in Levittown as “the Santa Claus who lives on Candy Cane Lane” in the Lakeside neighborhood of Tullytown. For more than 20 years, Klimas has turned his home at 438 Lakeside Drive into a winter wonderland. Candy cane arches line the sidewalk and more than 25,000 lights illuminate the home.
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The display has become a traditional stop for many area families looking to soak in some holiday cheer.
In November 2016, Klimas has diagnosed with Appendix Cancer Pseudomyxoma Peritonie, or ACPMP, a rare form of cancer that attacks internal organs. He felt under the weather, and the lights went up with support from his family.
When his condition worsened, Klimas ended up in the hospital. Twenty-two days in the hospital and a twelve-hour surgery left Klimas reeling. He even missed Christmas and the Lakeside Drive home was dark for the first time in 20 years.
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However on November 17, 2017, Klimas received his final chemotherapy treatment and is now in remission.
“If it wasn’t for Dr. Wilbur Bowne and the surgical team at Hahnemann Hospital in Philadelphia, my father my not be here today,” Monica Klimas, Charles’ daughter and his “original helper” said.
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This year, the family rallied around Klimas to make his Candy Cane Lane display live up to its full potential. Despite the discomfort related to his recovery from the cancer fight, Klimas battled through and painstakingly put together his Christmas display.
“It’s so much more important to us this year because last year our Santa was in the hospital,” Monica Klimas said.
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ACPMP is a very rare type of cancer. As a result, Monica Klimas explained, it is often a missed diagnosis. If a proper diagnosis was made earlier for Charles, she explained, a simple appendectomy could have solved the problem. As a result, the family is working to raise awareness of the disease and money for research.
So far, the family has already raised $1,000 for the ACPMP Research Foundation. To continue on that path, the family is hosting a Breakfast with Santa at the Applebee’s at 3219 Street Road in Bensalem with Charles taking the role of the jolly fellow in red. The breakfast will be held Saturday, December 9 from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
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“I’m so excited that we can let people know that this is what he has gone through,” Monica Klimas said. “He never complains; he just wants to see people happy.”
In addition to the Breakfast with Santa, Charles Klimas plans on being outside of his home in Lakeside meeting with those who check out the display and letting them take pictures with him dressed as Santa. He will be outside on December 16, 20 and 23 from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. As always before, he is not asking for money of any kind, but will accept donations to benefit the ACPMP research.
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The task to bring about a Christmas wonderland came when Klimas’ kids were young. Living in a rowhome in Philadelphia before moving to Tullytown, there was not a lot of room for decorations, so the kids decorated the inside of the residence.
According to Monica Klimas, her father talks a lot about the legacy of family. Charles’ legacy, according to Monica, will be Candy Cane Lane, being Santa and the joy he has brought to neighborhood kids for more than 20 years.
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