Teen Works Hard to Pay For Bedridden Mom’s Surgery, One Day Finds Needed Sum on Home’s Porch – Story of the Day

A teen stops hanging out with his friends and works extra hard to afford his bedridden mother's surgery. To his utter surprise, he finds the needed sum on his front porch one day.

How far can a mother go for her child? We all know what the answer is, don't we? The question is, how far can a son go for his mother?

Henry, 17, would do anything to see his mother, Lydia, leading a normal life again. She was confined to bed after suffering a spinal injury at the chemical factory where she worked and needed surgery to be able to walk again.

It all happened a few months ago when Lydia didn't return home on time, and Henry got a call from her colleague that she was hospitalized. From then on, Henry put his own life and wishes on the back burner and only cared for his mother...

Henry's father had died years ago, forcing him to become the man of the house at a young age, and his extended family didn't care about him or Lydia.

Unfortunately, Lydia's savings were nearly depleted by hospital bills immediately following the accident. The medical insurance wasn't enough to cover the cost of the surgery, so Henry had to step in.

For some time, he washed dishes at a local restaurant, then realized the pay wasn't enough to buy the medicines, let alone cover the surgery, so he left the job. Later, he found one at a grocery as a part-timer that paid him $12/hr, which wasn't a bad deal, so he continued with it.

"You don't need to worry, alright, mom? I'll try my best, and we'll get through this!" he used to tell Lydia every night after helping her to bed.

For as long as he could remember, Henry had done everything he could for Lydia, from helping her move around the house in her wheelchair, to cooking and cleaning, to even helping her wash up. They couldn't afford a caretaker, so he became one for her.

When he was at school, their next-door neighbor, Addison, an elderly widowed woman who gossiped about the entire neighborhood, would help Lydia.

After seeing how hard Henry worked for his mother, Addison wanted to help him financially, but she knew the boy wouldn't take her help right away, so she came up with an idea.

"Oh boy, I need someone to mow that lawn of mine! It's been such a task for me. Not that I can't do that, but my Parkinson's has been bothering me lately," she said.

"And how can I help you, Mrs. Green?"

A child's upbringing is reflected in their actions.

"You're a smart boy, aren't you?" she smiled. "How about I pay you for it? You can make some money and help me."

"Not a bad idea, but can we keep it to ourselves? Mom's been a little worried I'll drop out of school if I keep working all the time."

"Oh yes, yes...I don't even know what you're talking about... So, this Sunday?" she whispered.

"Done!" Henry grinned.

So, in addition to working several hours part-time at the grocery store and taking care of the entire house while trying to get through high school, Henry added mowing Mrs. Green's lawn on occasion to his to-do list.

All that work was physically demanding, but Henry did it because it was all for Lydia's surgery. He reasoned that if he worked a little harder, he would soon be able to collect the required sum. He was about halfway through.

One Sunday morning, Henry was leaving his house for his part-time job when he found an envelope on his front porch. There was no sender's name, nor was his or Lydia's name on it.

"Did someone drop it here by mistake?" Henry thought as he picked up the envelope. He flipped it over in his hands and found a message scribbled on the flap.

"Hope this helps, Henry."

"Did you send this, Mrs. Green?" he asked the older woman who'd just stepped out of the house to have some tea while enjoying the sun.

"Not me, boy!" she replied from a distance. "What is that?"

"I don't know either, Mrs. Green," Henry mumbled as he ripped open the envelope flap. When he peeked inside, his eyes widened in surprise.

"There's money in here…" He counted the money and saw that it was enough to cover the remaining sum he needed for his mom's surgery. "Who—who would send this?"

Henry inspected the envelope and found a letter inside. And while he was reading it, a smile appeared on his lips and tears gathered around his eyes.

"Guys! This is crazy..."

The letter said:

"Hey Henry,

Look, we know you've been kinda stressed out because of your mom's surgery, so we all did some extra work at our dad's workplaces, grocery stores, and diners, basically wherever we could find a part-time gig, to raise this money for you and your mother. It won't cover the entire surgery, but we hope it helps!

We hope you stop being a bore now and come to basketball practice with us today! You can ignore us, but we can't, haha. See you at 7? At the very least, stop by to say hello. :)"

Henry recognized the handwriting. It was his friend Adam's.

It turned out that Adam and Henry's other friends had collected the money to assist Henry with Lydia's surgery. Henry hadn't spent much time with them since Lydia was confined to bed and he was always too preoccupied with work and school.

Seeing him in distress, his friends decided to lend a helping hand and collected the remaining money for the surgery.

Henry was so relieved when he had the amount he needed! He met his friends that evening and thanked each of them. After all, it was due to them that, after a long time, he felt like he could breathe freely without worrying about whether he'd be able to help his mother.

A month later, Lydia's surgery was scheduled, and it went well. When she returned home after being discharged, she treated Henry and her other eight sons -- Henry's friends -- to the most amazing barbeque!

What can we learn from this story?

• True friends are there for you through thick and thin. Henry's friends noticed his anxiety about Lydia's surgery and went out of their way to find part-time jobs to help him.
• A child's upbringing is reflected in their actions. Henry and his friends were raised well and knew the importance of supporting each other in tough times.

Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.

If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about an 11-year-old boy who looks after his younger sisters alone while their mother spends most nights out.

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.