parents

The stranger who stepped in to help a new mother on a plane.

 

“Today, I was reminded that there truly are absolutely AMAZING individuals in this world even if they are complete strangers to you.”

Any parent will know that travelling with a baby is a challenge.

But for new mother Rebekka Garvison, a trip that started off as stressful became a pleasure after a stranger stepped in to help.

Garvison, from Michigan, was on her way to Alabama to surprise her husband Nick, who’s in the US army, earlier this month.

She had their three-month-old daughter Rylee in tow, and had been stressed out about lugging all their bags and baby gear interstate with nobody to help out.

Rebekka Garvison had been stressed about travelling interstate with three-month-old Rylee. (Photo: Facebook)

When she boarded the plane, she was seated to a couple who were visibly unimpressed with the thought of having to sit next to a baby.

“I could tell by their body language sitting right next to me that they weren’t thrilled about sitting next to Rylee,” Garvison recounted in a later post on Facebook.

So when Rylee started crying and wouldn’t stop, Garvison asked the flight attendant if she could move to an area with two empty seats. The flight attendant agreed, and what happened next turned Garvison’s day around.

“[N]ext thing I know I was sitting next to this amazing woman! I’m not sure if she could tell how stressed and upset I looked or what, but she turned our day completely around,” the young mother wrote.

Miller with baby Rylee. (Photo: Facebook)

“She had asked if I didn’t mind if she tried and of course I let her.

ADVERTISEMENT

“As soon as she had her, Rylee was looking out the window and stopped crying. When we got in the air she fell right asleep and slept in her lap the whole flight until we got to our gate.”

The good Samaritan, Illinois singer and actress Nyfesha Miller, even continued to help after the plane landed.

“She even carried her off the plane and held her so I could get the stroller and carseat put back together so I wasn’t struggling to try and do it all alone,” Garvison wrote.

Rylee, who will turn four months old this month. (Photo: Facebook)

After the plane touched down, Garvison took to Facebook on 24 September to recount the story and post her thanks.

“Nyfesha Miller, you will never understand how happy this act of kindness has made my family,” she wrote. “You could’ve just rolled your eyes and been irritated like everyone else, but you took her and held her the entire flight and let me get some rest and peace of mind.”

Nick Garvison with baby Rylee during the visit. (Photo: Facebook)

The sweet tale has now been shared more than 69,000 times — with many commenters posting that they can certainly relate to the difficulties of travelling with a baby.

“If anyone has ever traveled with an infant you know how stressful it can be,” Garvison wrote.

“Today, I was reminded that there truly are absolutely AMAZING individuals in this world even if they are complete strangers to you.”

Well done, Nyfesha Miller. Your selfless response is a reminder that even the smallest acts of kindness can make an incredible difference to someone in need.

00:00 / ???