One mother and her four children received assistance from an unlikely stranger after their truck battery died in a grocery store parking lot.
Tawny Nelson and her four young daughters had been struggling. Tawny, more than anything, required the assistance of a guardian angel, who arrived one rainy night.
Tawny’s previous relationship had ended, and her truck, which she relied on to travel around, was in bad shape.
“Since my ex departed, things have been very difficult,” she told KTVU news presenter Frank Somerville. “My truck had a flat tire that I had to regularly air up.” The window motor on the driver’s side had failed. In addition, I required a new alternator belt. The truck was a complete wreck. We didn’t drive someplace until it was absolutely necessary.”
Despite her best efforts to avoid driving, Tawny drove herself and her three girls — ages 9, 5, 2, and 6 weeks – to the Winn-Dixie nine blocks away when she remembered she needed to go to the grocery.
“It was well after dark when we left the store. It’s also pouring rain. My kids and groceries were loaded into the truck. I tried to turn it up…… Nothing. There’s no click. Nothing.” – TAWNY NELSON
Unfortunately, the car ran out of battery due to a simple error.
“One of my girls turned on a light by accident.” My battery had run out. “My phone was also turned off,” Tawny explained. “I had no family and was completely alone.”
In the Winn-Dixie Parking Lot, an Unexpected Guardian Angel Appeared
Tawny solicited assistance from more than 20 people over the following two hours. No one seemed to notice.
“They were all ignoring me. There was no “no.” I just pretended I didn’t exist. My 5-year-old was in tears. My newborn was screaming, my two-year-old was weeping because she was hungry, and my oldest was urgently attempting to assist. I was sobbing and feeling like the worst mother in the world. The passenger window was then rapped on.” – TAWNY NELSON
A guardian angel appeared just when Tawny needed it the most.
“On the other side of that knock came an older gentleman (he was 74) with a cane and a terrible limp,” Tawny recounted. “I pushed open the door. He offered me a dish of deli chicken strips and biscuits, as well as water bottles. ‘Young lady, feed those babies and yourself. ‘I’m sending a tow truck, and my wife will be here shortly to take you home.’ She did really appear, accompanied by the tow truck. Our truck and we were transported home.”
The gentleman did not end there! After assuring Tawny and her girls arrived home safely the next morning, he came to their home with a mechanic to repair Tawny’s truck.
“The gentleman came the next morning with a mechanic who rebuilt my battery and alternator as well as fixing my window. The elderly gentleman then walked away, never to be seen again. When I asked the mechanic what I owed him and if I could make payments, he laughed and said the older man had covered everything.” – TAWNY NELSON
The man just asked Tawny to do one thing: keep going.
“[The mechanic] said the elder man’s only demand was that I never give up and continue to be an excellent mother.” Never in my life have I sobbed so much. It had been a complete disaster. More than I’d like to admit. And this nice man benefited us in ways he will never know because he didn’t know us or our situation.”
Despite the fact that Tawny has not been able to repay her angel, she has pledged to pay it forward. “What he did restored my faith when I was on the verge of losing it.” He would not even accept a hug. I’ll never be able to express my gratitude to him. “However, I hope that one day I will be able to do for someone else what he did for me,” she stated.
Somerville was so moved by Tawny’s story that he decided to post it on his Facebook page. The post received almost 50,000 likes.
After Somerville told her story, Tawny thanked him, “Thank you so much for sharing my experience Frank.” “I hope it inspires someone else who is struggling to believe that angels appear when we least expect it.”
Several others passed Tawny in the rain that day, unwilling to help her, but all she needed was that one man to extend a hand. His charity has triggered a chain reaction, saving Tawny and her children.
The compassion the guy showed Tawny spread like a ripple effect, as Tawny and others inspired by Somerville’s Facebook post continued the older man’s goal to aid those in need.
