'Real, Pure, Goodness': First Class Passenger Gives up Seat for Mother with Sick Baby

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An American Airlines plane sits on the tarmac at Philadelphia International Airport on November 4, 2018 in this illustrative image. A passenger on a flight to Philadelphia gave up his first class seat for a... DANIEL SLIM/AFP/Getty Images

A man who was flying first-class on his birthday gave up his seat for a woman who had a sick baby.

Kelsey Rae Zwick was traveling from Orlando to Philadelphia for lifesaving medical treatment for her 11-month-old daughter Lucy whose oxygen tank made it a tight fit in their economy seat. She boarded the plane pushing a stroller, with a diaper bag on her arm and the oxygen machine.

She was overcome with emotion when a flight attendant came over to tell her that a passenger in seat 2D had offered to swap seats on the American Airlines flight 588.

Lucy had been born prematurely with her twin sister Eva last year and had to receive treatment at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Her chronic lung condition meant frequent trips from their home in Orlando.

Zwick was not able able to thank the good Samaritan properly as they passed each other in the aisle, and so shared the story on Facebook to try to find the man.

She posted on Facebook how while swapping seats, she "cried my way up the aisle while my daughter Lucy laughed! She felt it in her bones too… real, pure, goodness. I smiled and thanked you as we switched but didn't get to thank you properly.

"It reminded me how much good there is in this world. I can't wait to tell Lucy someday. In the meantime… we will pay it forward. AA 588 passenger in seat 2D, we truly feel inspired by your generosity."

The post quickly went viral and was shared more than 400,000 times, with many people reacting to the heartwarming gesture.

One person wrote: "So loving and this post made me cry. There are so many wonderful and caring people out there. I thank that man along with you."

Elizabeth Baker wrote: "To have been seen by this man and for him to extend himself in such a quiet, but significant way absolutely tugs every single one of my heart strings."

When she thanked the unnamed passenger in person, he felt as much gratitude.

"I guess it was his birthday, and he did reach out to us. He was thanking me for a birthday to remember. It was the best day. He said it made him and his wife cry, and he said, 'I am so glad we were on the same flight,'" Zwick told Yahoo! News.

"He's thanking me for something that I'm thanking him for! There's always good people in the world, and that's why I felt compelled to share."

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Brendan Cole is a Newsweek Senior News Reporter based in London, UK. His focus is Russia and Ukraine, in particular ... Read more

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