If it were up to kids, they’d buy everything they see. Leon Ashworth, a ten-year-old from Liverpool, England, is no different. During a trip to the supermarket ASDA with his mom Debbie, he saw a stuffed panda bear and it was love at first sight.
Leon begged his mom to purchase the snuggly panda bear, but her response was a firm no, not because she didn’t want to spoil her child, but because she really couldn’t afford it. She was heartbroken that she could not buy him the toy right away but promised that as soon as she got her paycheck, they would come back and buy it together.
The problem is that Leon wasn’t ready to let go of his newly found pal, which he affectionately named Pandy and he wasn’t going to settle for another one of those.
It Had To Be Pandy
Knowing that his allowance wouldn’t allow him to buy the toy that day, he resorted to a creative measure to be able to be reunited with his toy.
Unbeknownst to his mother, he found an empty cardboard box at the store and carefully wrote a note on the outer part of the box and put it on the shelf to whoever would end up finding it and hopefully, discourage them from buying it. The note read:
“My mum doesn’t have enough money, so she’s buying me Pandy next week 15 June. So please don’t buy him it will make me cry – thank you so much from his hopeful future owner. Pandas name is Pandy.”
Later that day, ASDA employees found the box with the panda bear inside. When they read the note, they were touched and decided to pitch in the money, the equivalent to 20 dollars, amongst themselves and purchased the toy for Leon. The only problem was how to find the boy and give him his beloved panda.
They resorted to social media to help locate Pandy’s owner, posting pictures of the bear and the cardboard box where it was found. A few days later, Leon’s mom saw it on Facebook and recognized her son’s handwriting.
After the social media post went viral, Debbie brought her son to be reunited with Pandy at ASDA and Leon was all smiles!
Since he received the panda bear as a gift from the employees at the store, Leon decided to do something very special with the pocket money he was saving to buy Pandy. That meant he could use his allowance money on something else that was close to his heart.
In January this year, his mom lost her baby at 24-weeks pregnant and the loss had taken a toll at Leon and his two siblings, 11-year-old Troy and 7-year-old Jennifer. Since then, they have been supported by The Honeysuckle Team, a group at the Liverpool Women’s Hospital that supports, advises and provides care for women who had miscarriages, stillbirth and early neonatal death.
The charity group donates a teddy bear to every mom in their program who has lost a baby. They call it ‘aching arm bear’. It’s a nice gesture to women and families suffering a tremendous loss.
That’s where Leon wanted his money to go, so more families could be comforted by a teddy bear.
Hello from Pandy! ? pic.twitter.com/j7YzTbIKzq
— This Morning (@thismorning) June 28, 2017
Since Leon’s story went viral, others were inspired and came forward to make a difference in his life. During a live appearance on This Morning, a UK news and entertainment show, Leon and his family were given an all-expenses paid trip to Hong Kong to visit real pandas at the Ocean Park.
Exciting news – Pandy is going to Hong Kong (with Leon and his family)! ✈️? pic.twitter.com/0D6nBISkl8
— This Morning (@thismorning) June 28, 2017
Leon’s happy story reminds us that we can make a difference in people’s lives through small acts of kindness. Not always you need to do something big to make someone’s day. Pay it forward.
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Via: Echo Liverpool
