Before His Death, Son Asked to See the Christmas Displays in N.Y.C. How His Mom Now Honors His Wish (Exclusive)

A few months into his leukemia treatment, Nicholas Sanchez, then 27, told his mom that he wanted to see the Christmas window displays in New York City. “His exact words were, ‘To see that just warms your heart,’ ” Pamela tells PEOPLE.

The request surprised the mother of two, as the California native had never been to New York and Pamela, 69, says he had never expressed any interest in making a trip to see the holiday lights.

“Maybe he was thinking, ‘I'm not going to make it, and these are some things that I would like to do when I get out of here,' " Pamela recalls. Although she made a promise to her son, Nicholas died in August 2013 at age 28, so they never got the chance to go.

Since his death, Pamela has honored her late son’s wish to see the lights without leaving the West Coast. Instead, she brings the joy of New York City’s decorated windows to Southern California by filling her and her husband Edward’s house with over a dozen intricately decorated — and themed — Christmas trees. 

Every year she starts the decorating process on Sept. 1 to prepare for a one-day “Hope for the Holidays” tree viewing in mid-December.

“My whole thing was I wanted to create that feeling that Nick described, that it just warms your heart,” Pamela says.

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She uses family heirlooms to decorate — and some themes are too big to be contained to just the tree alone, so Pamela transforms entire rooms to match the tone, such as this year's beach-inspired tree, which sits on a patch of sand.

Her “grandchildren” act as tour guides during the catered celebration, although she explains that some of them aren't related to her by blood. “We got eight kids from [Nicholas’] friends that call us grandma and grandpa,” she explains.

The party — which falls on Saturday, Dec. 14 this year and will feature 16 trees — has become a tradition for the Sanchez family and their 200 guests, allowing them to get into the holiday spirit, honor Nicholas’ legacy and raise money for the cancer center were he received treatment.

Nicholas’ health journey began in 2012, when then-27-year-old Nicholas called his mom while driving a truck cross-country for work. “He said, ‘Mom, I want you to know where I am because I'm not feeling good and I feel dizzy. So just in case something happens, I want you to know where I am,’ ” Pamela recalls.

Shortly after the phone call, a blood test concluded that he had acute myeloid leukemia, a blood and bone marrow cancer typically diagnosed in adults that, according to Pamela, is considered particularly aggressive.

He began treatment at San Antonio Community Hospital, but his first round of chemotherapy failed. Insufficient insurance coverage prevented him from going to City of Hope, a national network of cancer treatment centers, and after a number of failed attempts at getting him the help he needed, Pamela says she broke down.

“I was like, ‘How can I not do what's best for my son?' " she recalls "I can't just stop here and not do everything I can for him to survive."

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Fortunately, he was eventually accepted into City of Hope for another round of radiation and chemotherapy — and to receive a stem cell transplant. “When he first went to City of Hope the only room they had was in the pediatric ward, and they loved him there,” Pamela says. “All the kids loved him.”

In fact, Pamela says that nurses at both hospitals “fought over who would be his nurse at night."

Meanwhile, she says another nurse told her that she felt "forever in debt" to Nicholas, because of the positive impact he had on her, and everybody at the hospital.

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He had a smooth recovery after his August 2012 transplant and was released from the hospital in December so the family could spend Christmas together. Tragically, it ended up being their last.

“He was in remission, which was wonderful, and I made prime rib and we just watched TV together and he spent the night,” Pamela says of the “special” memory. “I try not to, but sometimes on Christmas Day, I think about him. I feel bad that he isn't with us anymore.”

A few days later, on New Year’s Eve, Nicholas was hospitalized for a fever, but released. In February, tests showed his leukemia was back. Doctors planned to do another transplant after a third round of chemotherapy, but Nicholas continued to experience illnesses and sinus infections.

“The day before he passed, he was still joking around. He was funny and all his friends came. And then the next day, he just went into a coma,” Pamela says. “That part I'm grateful for. I don't think he really suffered a lot.”

“We miss him, every day we miss him,” Pamela says of her late son, adding that she knows he would appreciate the “Hope for the Holidays” celebration.

The Sanchez family accepts donations for City of Hope at the tree viewing, and even have a City of Hope tree that is decorated with photos of Nicholas and other patients — plus envelopes for guests to leave their own charitable contributions. Over the seven years of viewing, they have been able to donate $96,336 to the center.

Neighbors, loved ones and friends of Nicholas have come over the years of tree decorations, bringing their children and making the Sanchez’s decorated home part of their Christmas traditions.

"One of his friends came and said, 'I love coming here. It just puts me in the Christmas spirit to see all this,’ ” Pamela says. “For my husband and I, that's our Christmas."

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