Teen Son Gives Mom a House after They Spend Years in Shelter for Homeless – Story of the Day

A poor widowed mother battling for her life celebrates her 33rd birthday with her teen son in the shelter for the homeless. He gives her a small gift box, and she has a seizure after finding a key inside.

Viona had seen the worst days of her life, but nothing prepared her for the blow of losing her husband, Shaun.

Viona was 17 when she conceived. A high school dropout with an aimless life, she gave birth to her son Cory a few months later. She had no parents, and Shaun, 19, was her only life support. They had planned to marry shortly after and live the beautiful life of their dreams with their newborn.

The couple sought comfort with the very little they had. Everything was perfect until Shaun died in a road accident, orphaning his wife and newborn son and taking more than just their happiness to his grave...

When Shaun was alive, he never made Viona regret anything. He was the sole breadwinner, so she struggled after his passing.

"Mama...mama? Wake up...what happened to you?" Cory did not know about his mom's health condition and the operation she needed.

Viona moved with her son to a nearby shelter after selling her tiny house to pay for Shaun's debts. She took up a job as a helper in a restaurant. The work didn't require her a degree, so Viona was safe, though her hands were painfully scarred due to overwork.

Cory started going to school, and everything was fine until Viona fainted in the kitchen while washing dishes.

"The sooner you get it done, the better," the doctor told Viona after she was diagnosed with a condition that required urgent surgery.

To save money for the operation, Viona worked even harder, choosing not to disclose her condition to Cory, who was 14.

Two years passed, and the boy saw how hard his mother struggled to raise him, so he decided he couldn't just stand by and watch.

"I must do something to help mama. I'll start working...But who will hire me? I'm still a ninth-grader...." he wondered.

He stumbled upon an advertisement for the sales assistant position in a grocery store, and soon, he worked there part-time daily after school. Initially, his mother was against it, but he convinced her he loved what he was doing.

In order to devote more time to his job, he quit soccer and never wasted time wandering with his friends. The only thing that kept him occupied after a long day at work was his laptop.

Cory loved online games and was trying to develop his own game. At 16, he started thinking like a responsible adult but still had no idea that his mom was sick.

Viona had hidden the truth about her diagnosis because she did not want to scare Cory. She thought it would distract him from his studies.

One day, Cory looked unusually upset, and it worried Viona. "It's nothing, mom..." he assured her. "I'm about to pitch a new gaming app. It's entertainment, plus it's informative...useful for kids."

"That's interesting! But what are you upset about?" she asked him.

"I need investors to launch my app. Unfortunately, nobody is willing to trust me because they think I'm just a kid. They feel it would be risky."

Viona sighed. She did not want to see his son quitting on his dream or failing. She decided she would help him achieve his goal. The following day, she went to the bank to withdraw all her savings.

"I believe in you, Cory! Take this money. I hope this will help," said Viona, handing him the $20,000 she'd saved. It was hard-earned money she'd accumulated since her diagnosis.

Cory thanked his mother and started getting things ready to launch his online game. He worked hard day and night, shuttling between school, his part-time store gig, and his new game development.

When Cory finally launched his game, it was a commercial success. Two months later, he gave his mother a small gift box on her 33rd birthday. Viona was surprised because it was her first gift in several years.

"What is it, darling? And why would you waste your money on getting something for me?" she asked as she unwrapped the box. Inside it was a key. "What is this?" she asked Cory.

"Happy birthday, mama! It's the key to our new house!" said the boy, moving his mother to tears. But just as Viona was about to hug her son, she started having a seizure and blacked out.

Cory was alarmed. "Mama...mama? Wake up...what happened to you?" he shrieked before struggling to get Viona to the hospital, where he finally learned what his mother had been keeping from him all those years.

"Please do everything you can to save her," Cory told the doctors who quickly operated on Viona. Cory paid for the operation, and Viona recovered a few weeks later.

"Son, why did you spend your money on buying that house? You could've saved it for your college," Viona told Cory as she was about to be discharged from the hospital.

Cory smiled and hugged her. He told her it was his duty to make her happy and share in her struggles, not just her joy. "Let's go home, mama!" he said, and they left for their new home on the outskirts of town.

What can we learn from this story?

• There is so much one can accomplish when motivated by love. Driven by his desire to help his struggling mother, 16-year-old Cory worked his way to becoming a successful game developer.
• Children can make the same sacrifices their parents make. Although Cory could have enjoyed his adolescence, he worked part-time to support his mom because he loved and appreciated her sacrifices for him.

A poor boy takes his mom's last $13 she had saved for their food to start a business. Months later, he gifts her a house worth $2M. Click here to read the full story.

This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone's life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.