Kyle Jauregui and his family went to the bakery to pick up a colorful cake they’d ordered for his sister Madison's 11th birthday.
But when the family approached the register to buy the cake, they learned it had already been paid for… by a complete stranger.
The family was then handed a handwritten note signed by "McKenna’s Mom" — and it revealed the heartbreaking reason for this unexpected gesture.
Kyle was so moved by the woman's story that he posted it to Twitter.
But neither he, nor McKenna's Mom, ever expected this gesture would turn into a viral sensation, with hundreds of thousands of shares…
Kyle Jauregui and his family recently went to pick up a birthday cake for his litter sister, Madison, who was turning 11 years old.
But when they arrived at the bakery, they were met with a surprise.
At the register, Kyle was stunned to discover the bright purple birthday cake had already been paid for.
Then, they were handed a note written by the mysterious stranger who secretly bought the cake.
It read:
In honor of my daughter’s 10th birthday I have chosen your cake to pay for.
Each year I do this random act of kindness because I am unable to buy my daughter a cake of her own.
Today is her big double digit birthday. Please enjoy your day.
The note was signed, "McKenna’s Mom."
The letter also contained a "Random Act of Kindness" card from MISSFoundation, which started its Kindness Project to help grieving families honor the children they've lost.
Since the Kindness Project was started in 1996, more than 2 million acts of kindness have been performed.
Kyle realized McKenna was the stranger's daughter who had passed away.
He was so moved that he shared the story on Twitter.
It quickly went viral with hundreds of thousands of shares.
“We just want to say thank you to McKenna's mom and wish McKenna a Happy Birthday,” Kyle tweeted.
“There's still good in this world.”
It wasn't long before the identity of the kind stranger was revealed, along with her emotional backstory.
Ashley's incredible gesture of kindness was a tribute to her daughter, McKenna Jodell, who died in 2008 at 9 months old.
Ashley has kept a blog, entitled Ladybug Landing, which documents her life, her immense loss, and the lessons she has learned from McKenna's tragic passing.
“I am learning lessons everyday in her absence and I want her life to make a difference in this world and I am finding out how to keep her memory alive everyday.
For several years I wanted to get Mckenna’s age progression picture done,” Ashley wrote on her blog in 2015. “I needed, wanted to know what she would look like because my imagination would never form any other age than a 9 month old baby.
I hung her picture up in my room where I can see her everyday (still avoiding looking at her, though it's getting easier).
In order for people’s lives to change I must talk about her and tell her story.
I grow everyday and hope one day to make a difference.
Now, people all over the country are sharing messages of praise and support for Ashley.
Please SHARE this incredible story of kindness with your friends on Facebook!
