How A Delta Flight Attendant Became A Young Adoptee’s Friend For Life
This story will restore your faith in humanity.
Svitlana Hulko / Shutterstock You never know when the kindness of a stranger will change your life forever. This was the case for a Delta flight attendant when new parents Karee and Rodney boarded their flight from China to America, anxious but ready to give their newly adopted daughter, Bella, a good life.
A Facebook post from Delta Air Lines documented the family's heartwarming encounter with their flight attendant.
They knew things would be tough with the language barrier between themselves, who only spoke English, and Bella, who only spoke Mandarin.
While they had been together for almost two weeks and things had been going smoothly thus far, the plane ride proved to be a bit overwhelming for young Bella.
After an unknown trigger sent Bella into a full-blown panic attack, all three travelers were in tears and feeling overwhelmed. Karee and Rodney were unsure how to comfort their daughter and were still getting to know her and her getting to know them. The last thing they wanted was for their sweet girl to feel stressed and unsafe.
Luckily Jackie, a Delta flight attendant, noticed the situation and knew just what to do to help the new family of three.
Being fluent in both English and Mandarin, she jumped in to help smooth things out and fill the gap between the two languages.
After multiple visits to their seats and some soothing words of encouragement, little Bella started to relax. Jackie comforted the young girl, holding her and walking her around the plane to distract her from her worries.
After being so deeply moved Karee and Rodger knew they had to exchange contact information with miracle worker Jackie.
They not only have kept in touch for the past two years, but Bella even refers to Jackie as "Grandma Jackie."
*Cue Ugly Crying*
Bella’s mom and dad couldn’t have been more thankful and stated, “I think she deserves all the love for being such a precious, caring person, and going above and beyond just doing her job.”
After being invited to Bella’s birthday in September 2020, Grandma Jackie arrived and even brought along a surprise. She brought with her ingredients to teach Bella how to make homemade dumplings.
Not only did Bella get to see Grandma Jackie for her birthday she got to indulge in authentic Chinese food as well!
Adopting a child creates hurdles for both the child and the new parents. It can be challenging to make the child feel welcomed and safe which made this travel moment even more important to the family. Thankfully, Grandma Jackie came to the rescue and added another supportive figure to Bella’s new life.
Grandma Jackie and Bella are now the best of friends forever and are encouraging us all to be kind to others.
Their story has since gone viral and has even been shared by Delta Air Lines themselves.
Grandma Jackie and young Bella show us that not only do our actions of kindness matter, but they’re needed. With so much division and hate in the world right now, we can all afford to give and receive a little (or a lot) more kindness.
It doesn’t always seem like we can make a difference being just one person, but Grandma Jackie proves otherwise. No action of kindness is ever considered too small and could make a bigger difference than you realize. When we bring happiness to others through a lending hand, we mend our own happiness as well.
The next time you have the opportunity to lend a helping hand to a stranger, take it. You never know what it may mean to them and you might even make a friend along the way.
Lindsey Matthews is a writer who covers love and relationships, news, and pop-culture topics.