The mother said she was left in tears after an anonymous man gave up his first-class seat for her and her baby.
A mother wrote a heartwarming message to a stranger who helped her and her baby daughter Lucy on a flight from Orlando to Philadelphia. Kelsey Zwick, the mother who was traveling with her 11-month-old daughter Lucy, said she was left in tears after an anonymous man gave up his first-class seat on a plane for the two of them to have more room.
Zwick along with her 11-month-old daughter Lucy had just pre-boarded their American Airlines plane and settled into their window seat. They were busy accommodating the baby Lucy's oxygen machine when they were approached by a flight attendant. The flight attendant told them that there was a man in first class who was offering to switch seats with them in order to allow them some extra comfort. Surprised and borderline shocked, Zwick and her baby walked towards the luxury cabin while the flight attendant gathered up all their belongings.
She then went on to express her surprise at being told about the switch on Facebook. “To the man in 2D. Today you were traveling from Orlando to Philly. I don’t know you, but I imagine you saw us somewhere. I was pushing a stroller, had a diaper bag on my arm, and also lugging an oxygen machine for my daughter. We had smiles on our faces as we were headed to see her 'friends' at CHOP (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia). We pre-boarded the plane, got cozy in our window seats, and made jokes to those around us about having to sit by my yelling-but-happy baby. The flight attendant came over and told me you were waiting to switch seats. You were giving up your comfortable, first-class seat to us. Not able to hold back tears, I cried my way up the aisle while my daughter Lucy laughed! She felt it in her bones too... real, pure, goodness. I smiled and thanked you as we switched but didn’t get to thank you properly," wrote the mother.
Zwick told FOX 29 that her 11-month-old daughter Lucy has a twin. She gave birth nearly 11 weeks early, which resulted in Lucy spending 100 days and her sister, 86 days in the NICU. Lucy now has chronic lung disease and was on the way to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) for treatment.
Zwick tried to find the man at the gate after the flight, but she couldn't find him. So, she took to Facebook to express her gratitude: "So... thank you. Not just for the seat itself but for noticing. For seeing us and realizing that maybe things are not always easy. For deciding you wanted to show a random act of kindness to us. It reminded me how much good there is in this world. I can’t wait to tell Lucy someday. In the meantime... we will pay it forward. AA 588 passenger in seat 2D, we truly feel inspired by your generosity."
She asked Facebook friends to share the post in hopes that the mystery man would see it: "Please share so we can say thanks," she urged them. And they did, resulting in the story going viral with over 400,000 people sharing it. Luckily, American Airlines was able to help out and Zwick learned that the man in seat 2D was Jason Kunselman. As per ABC News, the two connected on social media, and Zwick got to thank Kunselman again.