Strangers Pitch In To Keep Woman’s Car From Being Towed While She’s In The ER With Infant Son

(TLFagan)

You know the feeling — you’ve only got a little time left on the parking meter but you’re stuck somewhere, forcing you to face either a parking ticket, or even worse, having your car towed. One woman who was unable to feed the meter after spending hours in the ER with her infant son reached out to her fellow mothers, and was rewarded with an outpouring of generosity from total strangers.

A Toronto woman had to rush her six-week-old son to the hospital recently, and didn’t think she’d be too long, so she put enough money in the parking meter to cover her car for four hours, The Canadian Press reports.

But when she had to wait three hours to even see a doctor, she realized the meter would soon expire. So she reached out to a Facebook group for local mothers, asking whether anyone knew if her car would be ticketed or towed.

Strangers answered her, and also showered her post with offers to stop by and fill up the parking meter for her.

“I’m not far. I can go put change in it for you in about an hour on my way back home if you are still there,” one wrote.

“I live not too far from the hospital. Will head over now and top up the meter for you!” another added.

Nine hours later, she picked up her car to find that there were still five hours left on the meter, and that her Facebook feed had exploded with messages from people she didn’t know, wishing her and her son well.

“I was completely overwhelmed. I was completely grateful,” she said. “It made a very tough and stressful situation a lot easier for me. It made me able to focus on my son’s needs rather than having to worry about my car being towed.”

She adds that hundreds of mothers have been asking for updates on her son’s condition, as well as offering parking passes for her to use on her next trip to the hospital. She says now she’s inspired to return the favor, and will be keeping in touch with those who reached out to her.

That feeling you’re having? It’s the warm fuzzies. Feels nice, doesn’t it?

Strangers stop woman’s car from being towed during infant son’s hospital visit [The Canadian Press]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist