As a parent I know that nothing makes me more proud than when I see my little one display a random act of kindness. It reminds me of the better person I can be and the following story of 8-year-old Wyatt Erber does the same.
Wyatt entered into a local scavenger hunt sponsored by First Clover Leaf Bank in Edwardsville, MO. The grand prize for the winner was to be $1,000. Now as a young boy I would have bought every Nintendo game ever made with that type of cash but Erber always had different intentions.
A few weeks ago when Wyatt did win he dialed up his neighbor Trisha Kielty. When she answered the phone Wyatt asked, “How much chemo will $1,000 buy Cara?” You see, Trisha’s 2-year-old daughter had been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Trisha and her husband Jim took little Cara to a doctor at 22-months-old for what they assumed was an ear infection. When antibiotics failed they sought out St. Louis Children’s Hospital and the frightening diagnosis came in May. The disease has a %90 cure rate and so far young Cara is handling chemotherapy well.
Trisha recalled Wyatt’s generosity, “I’m completely floored by him. To step up and donate his winnings … is crazy.”
As for Wyatt? He’s just a 3rd grader who wanted to help. He said, “I wanted to give it to them. I didn’t know what to do with it.” His story has spread across sites like ours and people are responding to the sincerity of Wyatt’s wishes for his winnings. On Tuesday a man from Canada mailed a letter to Wyatt’s home that read:
“We need more kids like Wyatt.”
Attached was a $100 bill. Mom came outside to find Wyatt getting his Hoola Hoop on. He stopped long enough to present the money to Trisha. She replied in kind with a big old happy momma kiss on his cheek. He shrugged that off with a, “Yuck!,” wiped off the kissy with the empty envelope and returned back to his hoop.
I can only imagine how proud Wyatt’s parents are of him.
This song goes out to Wyatt, Cara and good neighbors everywhere.
We need more PEOPLE like Wyatt.
