Flying can be pretty terrifying. If you're not used to air travel, you can't help but think about all the things that can go wrong on an airplane. Thankfully, air travel is safer than ever due to modern technology and airtight security measures. For one elderly woman who found herself flying for the first time in 15 years, it was still very scary, and she couldn't shake her nervousness. Her daughter was flying with her, but they were seated separately. Luckily, she was blessed with a seatmate who knew exactly how to help.
The story went viral after being shared on Facebook by passenger Megan Schofield, who was seated across the aisle from the two. The flight was from San Diego to Nashville. The 96-year-old woman, named Virginia, was going to visit family in Kansas City for her birthday. The man seated next to her, Ben Miller, held her hand and talked her through the flight. He provided the ultimate comfort to help Virginia through.
Whether you've never been on an airplane or you fly all the time, you can understand how flying can be nerve-racking. Flights can be unpredictable, and travel itself is pretty stressful. It's not unusual to find travelers a bit on edge.
When one woman decided to embark on a birthday trip with her daughter after not having been on a plane for 15 years, she was understandably nervous about the trip ahead of her. It was made worse by the fact that she and her daughter were seated separately on the plane.
The 96-year-old woman, whose name is Virginia, was definitely nervous, but she was blessed with a seatmate who had no trouble comforting her. A woman watching from across the aisle shared the touching story on Facebook.
"On my flight from San Diego to Nashville today, sitting in the row next to me was a 96-year-old woman who hasn’t flown in 15 years. For her birthday she wanted to go to Kansas City to see her family but she was scared of flying," Megan Schofield wrote.
Thankfully, Virginia's seatmate was Ben Miller, a man who had no issue comforting her. "She asked for this man’s hand during takeoff and then hugged him again when experiencing turbulence," Megan continued in her post.
"This gentleman I should say, gladly took her hand, let her hold onto him, calmed her by talking to her and explaining everything that was happening, and simply was that stranger there for her," she explained. "He knew just what to do the entire flight to help."
Ben also looked out for Virginia as she navigated around the plane. "He helped her stand up to go to the restroom and watched her carefully walk down the aisle," Megan noted. "It made me smile the whole flight as he comforted her."
Once they got off the plane, Ben continued to help. "This man was her flight angel. He held her bag, helped her get off the plane and into the wheelchair, and when she got confused wondering where her daughter went (she called her her sister), he stayed with her until she caught up with her daughter who got separated from her," Megan revealed.
Megan shared the story because she was surprised by how deeply it touched her. "I walked away sobbing happy tears being so thankful for people like this wonderful human. She was so grateful that she wanted him to have her flight pretzels. ."
Megan showed appreciation for Ben and the many people like him who don't think twice before performing an act of kindness for a complete stranger. "Hats off to you sir, for your kind heart and your compassion toward someone whom you’ve never met. I have never been so touched on a flight before. This truly made my week."
As Megan's story spread, people were truly touched by this man's generosity. It's not often that you can trust, let alone find comfort, in a stranger. In the world we're living in today, we can all use more of this kind of kindness.
It's also wonderful to see how many people were able to share similar stories. There's so much kindness in the world that no one hears about. Sharing these stories does a lot more good than just bringing a little light into someone's day.
Megan's post was shared so much that it eventually reached a member of Ben Miller's family, who then told him about it. He told Today: "I was traveling alone, I didn't know anybody on the plane. You certainly don't think anybody is paying attention to you. So to get a text from somebody a few days later after the flight saying, 'Hey, is this you?' It's crazy."
"To see what it's done in terms of taking off, I think Megan really gets the credit for that because I think the interaction that I had with Virginia was maybe somewhat unique, but I'd like to think that it wasn't all that uncommon," he said.
