Ernestina Nunuz experienced a loss no parent should ever have to go through. Her son, Daniel, was a Marine veteran who suffered from PTSD and ultimately took his own life after returning home from war.
Daniel, who was Ernestina’s only child, was only 33 years old when he passed away.
One year later, Ernestina had hit rock bottom. She’d become so depressed in the wake of her son’s death that she herself felt she had nothing to live for. Little did she know an unlikely guardian angel had been watching over her.
Ernestina is a high school janitor who walks a mile to work, holding her heavy bags. And every day, she passes Spooner’s Tires and Auto shop in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Richard Newberry, the owner of the shop, always saw Ernestina walking by… but he never actually met her until he saw her break down in tears out front. He ran outside to console her, and that’s when the grieving mother explained her situation and how desperate she was feeling.
Nothing prepared Ernestina for what Richard was about to do next.
“We’re starting an early Christmas,” he said. At first, Ernestina was so overwhelmed by his offer that she denied it several times, prompting Richard to record a live Facebook video so everyone would know he was 100% serious.
- Barbara Diamond, LittleThings.com