Acts of Kindness
Stranger Pays For Mom's Copayment For Son's Doctor's Appointment
The world needs more people like this. Every little act of kindness adds up to a lot.
Cedric Jackson
08.30.17

This mom from Pell City, Alabama, is searching for the Good Samaritan who turned her day around with a simple gesture.

Melissa Simms was having a day where it seemed nothing would go well. Simms’s son, Trey, was home from school sick, so he went with Simms to her doctor appointment, a routine follow-up.

WBRC
Source:
WBRC

While waiting with her seventh-grade son, Simms came to the realization that she wouldn’t have enough for her doctor’s co-payment. She told WBRC:

“Me and my husband woke up and split our last ten dollars for gas, for him to go to work and for me to make it to my doctor’s appointment. All day I was stressed about how am I going to make supper for my kids.”

Little did Simms know that a stranger was about to turn a horrible day into an amazing one.

While Simms was in her doctor’s appointment, Trey sat in the waiting room, listening to music. An unknown woman came up to him and handed him an envelope to give to his mom.

Trey had no idea what the envelope contained, so he gave it to her as they walked to their car following the appointment. Inside was a handwritten note:

“I’ve had days like you’re having today. Hang in there.”

It also featured the scripture notation Joshua 1:9, which is:

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

To top it all off, the envelope also contained a hundred-dollar bill. Simms started crying and had a “complete feeling of peace, just like everything is going to be OK.”

Thanks to the anonymous Good Samaritan, Simms not only made her co-payment and got groceries for dinner, but also bought some extra items the family needed.

Simms wanted to be able to say thank you to the mysterious woman but couldn’t since she didn’t know her name or even what she looks like. Simms said:

“I hope I get to meet her to say thank you. […] It’s the kindest thing that’s ever been done. Truly from the bottom of my heart I thank this woman. I would love to repay it and to pay it forward one day just like she did.”

In a comment on her original post, Simms explained:

“I did the story with Fox 6 News and hopefully I will get to find this wonderful woman and tell her Thank you in person!”

Simms originally shared the image and message in the Facebook group “What’s Happening in Pell City,” and there were numerous inspiring comments.

Some simply shared their amazement and how selfless people can be, while others told their own stories of similar situations.

Janet G. Davis wrote:

“I had not experienced anything like this either until Saturday morning in McDonald’s drive-thru. The lady in front of us paid for my family’s breakfast because of the person in front of her paid for hers. I don’t know how long this had been going on but I do know it made a difference.”

Facebook/Melissa Simms
Source:
Facebook/Melissa Simms

In the around two years since receiving this mysterious gift, Melissa Simms has not made many public posts on Facebook, so it is unclear how her family is doing. Or if she ever found the Good Samaritan who brightened her day.

Hopefully, things have looked up for her and her family and Simms has already been able to pay this good deed forward.

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