When Renee Smith when into her local bakery to pay for her son’s birthday he discovered an incredible surprise: someone had already paid for the cake! Smith decided to do a little digging, having no idea it would lead her to a heartbreaking story surrounding an anonymous woman…
Paying For Three Birthday Cakes
Earlier this month, Renee Smith walked into Borrelli’s Pastry Shop, one of the best bakeries in Coventry, Rhode Island, to pick up her son’s birthday cake. Little Connor would soon turn six, and Renee wanted to make her son’s big day special despite the coronavirus. However, when the mother went to pay for the cake, the cashier informed her someone had already paid for the cake. Of course, at first, Renee felt confused. Did someone pay for her cake by mistake? But, as the mother would find out after talking to cashier Liya Harrison, it was no mistake.
Before Renee arrived, an anonymous woman came into Borrelli’s and did something incredible. “She said she lost her son about a year ago and said she wanted to spread positivity by buying something for a child like a cake or a toy and so she decided, since she’s a loyal customer here, to buy birthday cakes,” said Harrison. “It was really emotional. I was sad when she said it because I didn’t know what to say, but when she said she wanted to pay and help another family, that made me happy.”
In total, the anonymous woman paid for three cakes – two cookie cakes and an Oreo dinosaur cake. The latter ended up being Smith’s order. “Everyone that was a recipient, their reaction was kind of the same: very emotional, started to cry, they wanted to know who she was but we didn’t know her name,” remarked the 19-year-old cashier.
Massive Emotional Impact
Despite her good deed, the woman asked Harrison to keep her anonymous. Still, regardless of her anonymity, the mysterious woman has become an inspirational figure not just to locals, but also to many online! Likewise, Renee didn’t hide her gratitude towards the woman who paid for her son’s birthday cake.
In fact, when Renee went back to her car, she could not help but think of the woman, her lost child, and her own little Connor back at home. In the parking lot, Renee broke down in tears. “It was just very emotional because I can’t imagine the feeling this woman had, the pain you go through losing a child, and then to do something like this for somebody else, and to give for somebody else, it was a little overwhelming and emotional.” When she returned home, the mother felt the need to share the story online. After hugging Connor, of course!
“I just kind of wanted to put it out there that I didn’t take it for granted,” said Renee Smith. The mother of a six-year-old told others about her encounter to make an impact, to show how thankful she was to know someone like that anonymous woman exists. Now, the story has been shared over a thousand times!