Last night, I was in line at a local Walmart to send money for my fellow kababayan when I witnessed a heartwarming gesture from a stranger.

A mother and her son approached the counter and told the cashier that they wanted to send money to the Philippines. When I heard them say “Philippines,” it caught my attention, so I glanced at them. They did look like Filipinos but their accent was different.

The cashier asked who they wanted to send the money to and they said, “We don’t know anyone from the Philippines, we just want to donate.” The cashier asked them if they wanted to choose some agencies that people had sent money to and they said yes, looking at the cashier’s computer screen. They chose the Philippine Red Cross.

When the cashier asked how much they wanted to send, the mother said $750. They started to count the money in front of the cashier, mostly $20s and $5s. As the mother was counting, she explained that some of the money was from her son’s savings. Her son gave a big smile to the cashier, feeling happy about his gesture. That melted my heart and made me feel goosebumps all over.

When they were done, I couldn’t help myself, I had to say something. I approached them and said, “Thank you in behalf of the Filipino people!”

I was almost teary-eyed. The mother smiled at me and asked me if I was  Filipino and if my family was OK back home. I said yes, they’re fine and thanked her again for asking.

Her name is Len. She is from Vietnam, and her son’s name is David who is 8 years old.

There is so much help coming from all over the world and I am happy to witness it here, perfect strangers helping our countrymen. Sana po makaabot ang tulong nila sa  victims.

Lala Deterala is a Filipino physical therapist living in Oregon, United States.