GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WSVN) — A woman was incredibly grateful after a stranger bought her a plane ticket to go see her dying mother in Florida.
The day before Thanksgiving, Laura Genovich’s mother suffered a stroke. Initially, it was unclear how bad her condition was but a few days later, Genovich was informed that her mother may not make it. "That was when I realized how bad it was," she said.
Laura purchased tickets for an American Airlines flight leaving for Florida later that morning for her and her three-month-old daughter. However, shortly before leaving, a maintenance issue delayed the flight and eventually canceled the flight altogether.
Genovich was heartbroken. "I just broke down and started crying because I needed to be there," she said. "I needed to get there as soon as possible. My dad was completely alone down there."
Genovich said that afterward, she encountered a woman who helped her in a way that was completely unexpected. "’My name is Mary and I have been listening to you for the last hour and I have been praying for you and your family,’" Genovich said the woman told her.
Mary was waiting for Genovich when she got off the canceled flight. "She was right there and she did not leave my side," Genovich said.
The two women found another flight on Southwest Airlines, however, it was scheduled to take off in just 15 minutes. Together, they ran to the gate where they were assisted by Southwest Airlines gate agent Gayle Mutchler. "This is crazy I didn’t expect anything," Mutchler said. "I don’t ever expect anything. I’m just doing my job, that’s how Southwest is."
Mary had already paid for the ticket and wished Genovich farewell. "She gave me a big hug and she said, ‘I love you and the lord loves you,’" Genovich said.
Mutchler said she was surprised that a stranger made such a generous gesture. "I’ve seen relatives fight over who’s paying for the ticket, let alone complete stranger paying for a full fare walk up at the gate, 400 and some dollars," she said.
Genovich made it to her mother’s bedside later that day and was able to spend some time with her. "I laid the baby on her and I talked to my mom and I sang to her and I played videos on my phone of the other kids so she could hear their voices and to be able to do that is just priceless," she said.
A few days later, Genovich’s mother passed away. "The bittersweet thing is my mom would have loved this story," she said. "She would have loved the story about the kindness of strangers."
In return for her kindness, Mary was given a voucher for a future flight with Southwest Airlines.