METAIRIE, La. — Sometimes the wrongdoing of just one person can bring out the tremendous good in dozens of others. And that’s what happened to a Metairie woman who is disabled.
But her tears of sorrow turned into tears of joy when a stranger reached out on social media to help.
And we surprised her with a chance to say “Thank you.”
Lou Mattix was only in her early 20s when her athletic body started acting differently. There was arm numbness, tingling, and twitching eyes.
“I had a knot in the back of my neck right here, and I was terrified that it was pushing on something, and it was cancer,” said Lou Mattix, 44.
The college student was told she had multiple sclerosis. Now, more than 20 years later, she is at peace with her life.
“I have been in dark, dark places. I have not always been doing as well as I am now,” she said.
Lou has had surgeries and needs more. One leg is shorter than the other. She's partially blind and can only walk a short distance. The custom-made wheelchair that she got right after Hurricane Katrina, was her freedom to go on outings with her beloved niece and nephew and make it to doctors’ appointments, but on Saturday someone took it from a family member's driveway.
“I started getting frantic and you know, started, started to ask, you know, has someone taken the chair?” Mattix remembers.
“She was inconsolable," said Lou’s mother, Kay Pendergrass. "She sobbed herself to sleep Saturday night, and I would hear her through the day on Sunday crying. And I thought, ‘Alright, I need a plan,’ " she said.
So, her mom, family, and friends, put out signs, filed a police report, spread the word on social media and the WWL-TV web page, and started a GoFundMe. And then a young man, who meant to donate anonymously, changed everything.
“That angel donor, I've never experienced any type, that amount of generosity from a stranger,” said Mattix.
So, we surprised Lou and found the young man and got him on the phone.
Donor: “Hey Lou. How are you?”
Lou: “I am fantastic. Thank you.”
Donor: “I have to tell you that my faith in God brought me to you. So, I believe that it's God in all things, and it's so vital to remember, especially now. Again, I am so happy to have been able to speak with you, and may God pass a special blessing on to you and your family.
Lou: “And to you. And to you. Thank you. I appreciate you.”
There is a saying "Do kind acts when no one is looking." That's what the young man did, and created an early Thanksgiving for an entire family they will forever be grateful for.
The family is in touch to with the company that made the original wheelchair and hopes it can be duplicated in a few months.
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.