Mark Stopa, a Tampa-based lawyer, has always tried to give back, but he felt a tugging at his heart to do something bigger. Then, one night, his 8-year-old son asked, "Why don't you give away a house, Daddy?" That's when the wheels started turning.
Stopa decided to follow through with the idea. He set up a contest and asked all interested families to write a 200-word essay on why they should be selected to win a house — no strings attached. Stopa and his children would choose the winner personally.
Suddenly, the letters started pouring in, but one stood out from the rest. In the end, Moriah Barnhart was selected to win after her friends sent in her story.
The single mom lost her job while trying to care for her daughter, who was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2013. Despite her struggles, Barnhart continued to work running a nonprofit for kids with cancer.
"You end up basically losing everything to try to save your child's life," Barnhart told the local news station.
When Stopa gave the single mother a life-changing surprise — a new house — it was all captured on camera. The mom was brought to tears!
"I'm just in shock. It seems unreal. I'm really hoping I'm not dreaming," Barnhardt said. "I'm eternally grateful that he even had this in his mind, much less that he worked so hard to bring it to fruition."
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