The mark of true character is giving to others even when you don’t have much yourself.
Not long ago, Liz Fuller-Wright of Rockland, Maine gave her 3-year-old son, Will, his very first bicycle. It was a special Spider-Man bike, and he couldn’t wait to give it a spin. Liz walked while Will rode his bike to the local Walgreens, and they went inside for a celebratory treat.
When they came back outside, the bike was gone. Liz looked all over, but the bicycle had seemingly vanished into thin air.
“It was a mix of emotions, I mean, sad, disappointed, angry at the state of humanity,” said Liz. “He’s 3 years old, this is his first bike, and you don’t want to think that anybody would do that.”
Later, Rockland Police Department shared surveillance video of the theft on Facebook, asking the public for help identifying the thief, who arrived at the scene on another bicycle.
No one has come forward with that information yet, but someone else happened to see the story on Facebook, and she was crushed to hear someone had stolen from a little kid. The woman, who has asked to remain anonymous, decided to become the hero Will needed!
“What this little boy was thinking when he came out of that store with his mom and saw his bike missing?” she pondered. “I cried. I worried about what that little boy would be growing up thinking about the world.”
Although she recently became homeless and is living in her car, the stranger drove to Walmart and purchased the exact same Spider-Man bike for Will. She also got him a new helmet and bike lock. She drove the items to the Rockland Police Department, who promised to get them to Will.
Police shared what happened online, and the public was eager to repay the woman for her kindness. Mid-Coast Recovery Coalition stepped in to funnel donations to her, and they’re arranging for a bike drive to help other kids in need because so many people have been donating new bicycles!
Will is loving his second new bike, and his mother says the act of kindness meant more than words can express for her and her family.
“I was able to give her a call and we spoke for a few minutes, and she told me her story, and I couldn’t believe it,” said Liz. “She’s not someone flush with cash, but she gave so much, so generously, to a little boy she’d never met, never known, because she wanted him to be happy. She didn’t want him to think that there were bad guys in the world. She wanted him to have faith in humanity.”
Even though she doesn’t even have a home to call her own, this woman gave generously to a child who was wronged. We hope the community continues to help her get back on her feet.
Share this story to thank this real-life superhero for her kindness.
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