Mother, Son Overwhelmed by Amazing Kindness of Others
By LANA MUTHLER
LOCK HAVEN — What began as almost the worst day ever turned into a day that has renewed a man’s faith in humanity and prompted him to pass it on.
It was Wednesday, Sept. 2, Scott Andrus was taking his mother, Kim Wise, for her 8:30 a.m. bi-weekly chemotherapy treatment in State College, when Kim’s 2012 Jeep Liberty broke down leaving them stranded in the pouring rain along a busy highway.
Scott called for a taxi and an Uber to get Kim to her treatment on time. Neither one could make the pickup for 20 minutes to half an hour, and that meant Kim would miss her treatment. Scott called the insurance company to send a tow truck to come get his mother’s vehicle and then he called 9-1-1.
“It was really scary. I managed to pull the vehicle off the road onto the berm. The traffic was really bad. There were lots of rigs on Route 322 and it was pouring down rain. We got out of the car. Mom had a little umbrella. I was getting soaked. She didn’t tell me until later that there was a larger umbrella in the car,” Scott said, looking at his mother sitting nearby smiling.
Minutes later an amazing thing happened.
An officer from the State College Police Department arrived, told mom to get in the backseat of the cruiser and took her to her appointment right on time, Scott explained.
Kim said she couldn’t believe she was locked in the back seat of the police car.
“When we got there, he unlocked the back door and dropped me off. I was the talk of the town,” she said.
Meanwhile, Scott rode in the tow truck to Blaise Alexander Jeep on College Avenue, State College. He learned a bolt had fallen out of the water pump, shredding the serpentine belt and causing the vehicle to overheat.
“They took the car in immediately. I sat in the waiting room while they rounded up parts and made repairs, which took some time.
“It was about three hours later when they came out and told me the car was done and handed me a paper, which I just assumed was the bill. I asked where do I pay? They said, ‘It’s already taken care of. Now go take care of your mother.'”
“I was shocked. The paper wasn’t a bill. It was a receipt for the work that had been done… it cost over $700,” Scott said, still becoming emotional as he talked about the kindness of that day a week later.
At noon, Kim called Scott. She was done and he was on his way to pick her up.
As he left the garage something else wonderful happened.
“The rain had stopped and the sky was blue. The sun was shining. The clouds had broken up. Something had come through for us. What began as almost one of the worst days of our lives turned into a silver lining,” Scott said.V
As soon as Kim got in the car she asked Scott how much the repairs cost and if he used her credit card to pay the bill.
When he told her how it all ended, she couldn’t believe it.
“I was flabbergasted. I have the money. I could have paid the bill,” she said.
Scott said he doesn’t know who paid the bill, but his faith in humanity has surely been restored.
This story isn’t over yet.
Scott was so overwhelmed by what had happened that he posted this heartwarming experience on Facebook.
“There were hundreds of likes and hundreds of comments in a few hours. It just kept growing and growing. I was hoping that people would read it and do something for somebody… pay it forward. I started getting phone calls. I wasn’t wondering why this happened to me. I was wondering what can I do to help somebody,” he continued.
“Just imagine if all those people payed it forward, what a wonderful world this would be. If my post inspired one person to do something for somebody else… it was worth it.”
Originally Published: https://www.lockhaven.com/news/local-news/2020/09/mother-son-overwhelmed-by-amazing-kindness-of-others/
