Woman's touching act of kindness for stranger after losing baby
A US supermarket employee has told of a moving encounter he had with a customer, posting about the experience on Facebook, which has drawn an emotional response from users of the platform.
Nick DeClemente was working at Publix supermarket in Jacksonville, Florida, when a woman approached him at the bakery counter.
“A lady just came up to the bakery counter and asked if we had any 1st birthday cakes on order for Saturday or Sunday. She said she wanted to pay for one,” he wrote in his post.
But the cake was for someone else, a complete stranger she may never meet. The woman had had a stillborn baby boy a year ago, and wanted to make a tribute to him in his memory. She wanted to pay for the cake anonymously.
“I asked what the customer name was, thinking she was paying for a specific person,” wrote DeClemente. “She then started to tear up and tell me that she had a stillborn child a year ago and in tribute to him she wanted to pay for someone else's cake.”
On Facebook, DeClemente posted an order form for a Sesame Street “smash cake” for a 1st birthday that he chose for the woman to buy. Beside it is a receipt for $US33 ($AU46).
“She told me thank you and appreciated that I let her do this,” he said. “It was probably one of the most touching things I've seen in all my years working in retail.”
DeClemente’s post provoked some heart-warming comments from Facebook users.
“Speechless and teary-eyed!” wrote one person.
And this from another, “Wow. As a momma to three miscarriage angels, this both warms my heart and breaks it at the same time. Sending her all the love and prayers in the world.”
DeClemente said he hoped the stranger’s act of kindness would prove cathartic for her.
“I hope that this lady finds peace through this tribute and that the customer receiving this gift will, if nothing else, pay it forward,” he wrote.
What acts of kindness have you witnessed? Let us know in the comments section.