NEWBURYPORT – While walking to a friend’s house with her dog and older brother a few days ago, Charlotte Bogorad watched an ambulance and fire truck with flashing lights pull up at a nearby home.
“I saw it was the house my brother Will’s teacher lived in,” Charlotte said. “I was very worried.”
The eight-year-old Charlotte ran home to tell her mother, Tera Bogorad, but she couldn’t stop thinking about the teacher and what she might be going through. Wanting to help in some small way, Charlotte created a gift.
The man, as she later learned, had suffered a mild heart attack, and the paramedics and fire crew had been called to take the teacher’s husband to Ana Jaques Hospital.
Charlotte put together a basket for him. Inside, she placed some real and artificial flowers, a handmade get-well card and a small, squishy snail toy. Each item was meant to bring a smile and a sense of comfort during a difficult time.
Her mother helped her prepare the gift and write the note that read: Dear Mary, I’m Will’s sister and I hope that you and or your husband is OK, Love Charlotte.
She drew several hearts on the bottom of the note, folded it in a small wicker basket and delivered it to the kitchen door of the home of the man and his wife, Mary, the teacher.
Though simple, Charlotte’s gesture carried a lot of heart.
“To arrive home at 11:30 p.m., and see such a sweet gift made me smile,” Mary said. “It was a perfect gift from a pure heart of empathy. We need more of this now and always.”
Charlotte’s act of kindness went a long way and brought comfort when it was needed most. Her thoughtful gesture showed how even a small act can have a big impact.
Note: The man ended up at Portsmouth Regional Hospital where the cardiac unit is among the most celebrated in New England. He is now home recovering and continuing to write stories for this newspaper – thanks to a lot of care from great doctors, nurses, technicians, his family and Charlotte. ♦
