On Father's Day 2016, Dan and Maxi Cortez wanted nothing more than to spend some quality time with their two adorable daughters, Harper and Harlow.
The military family from Cabot, Arkansas, stepped out of uniform for a meal at Red Lobster. Dan and Maxi giggled and smiled with their 1-year-old girls, every bit the picture-perfect family.
When they finished their meal, Dan was about to pay the bill — but that's when he noticed this note scribbled on the back of the receipt:
Enjoy your babies, they don't stay little long. From the family across from you, God bless you.
Much to their surprise, a kindhearted anonymous family paid for their lunch. But the unnamed bill-payers had no idea the Cortez family was missing one of their own that day.
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No, not everything was what it seemed…
Maxi Cortez and her husband, Dan, a member of the National Guard, couldn't wait to start their family.
After struggling with infertility, the couple from Arkansas underwent one round of IVF. treatment Not only did it work, but the couple was blessed with triplets.
On May 27, 2015, Landon, Harper, and Harlow were delivered via C-section. All three healthy babies went home together after three weeks in NICU.
On Father's Day 2016, Dan and Maxi Cortez took their kids to Red Lobster. But when the family went to pay their bill, they found a note scribbled on the back. It was written by the family who sat across them at the restaurant.
Enjoy your babies, they don't stay little long. From the family across from you, God bless you.
But here's what the author of the heartfelt note didn't know.
Two weeks after Maxi and Dan's triplets were born, Landon began acting strangely. Dan rushed him to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with Citrobacter koseri bacterial meningitis.
Baby Landon passed away at just 7 weeks old.
The day the Cortez family went to Red Lobster was their first Father's Day without Landon.
"The holidays are always the hardest," Maxi wrote on Facebook. "Without knowing any of this, you paid for our meal. You might never know our story or the impact of something so little could affect our lives. I'm writing you to thank you from the bottom of our hearts!"
"I hope this post reaches you, so one day you might know that what might seemed like a small gesture of kindness to you, made celebrating my wonderful husband just a little bit easier this year!"
"I got my girls, and I'm happy, but if I had all three I'd be spectacular," Daniel told Arkansas Matters.
"From the time he was born he never closed his eyes," Maxi says. "He just wanted to be awake all the time. It's like he knew that he only had a short time."
Dan and Maxi were shocked by the unknown family's gesture of kindness, especially on a day they needed it most.
The grateful couple is sharing their story in the hopes they can find the family who paid for their meal. Maxi wants to thank them for "giving them new life."
Let's help the Cortez family find these kindhearted strangers, and honor Landon's memory in turn. Please SHARE this with your friends on Facebook!
