They weren’t related but a first grader and his 78-year-old neighbor have become fast friends.
This is because young Caleb wants to make sure that Wilma Bray is OK and that she wakes up from her naps.
Bray’s granddaughter, Darrien Middleton, was absolutely overjoyed to learn about their friendship. She captured a photo of the pair sitting on Bray’s Tennesee porch and posted it on Facebook. That post, of course, ended up going viral.
“Just wanted to shed some light in this dark world we live in. This kid comes and visits my grandmother everyday… 4-5 times a day,” she wrote on her Facebook page. “He just told me it was to check on her, to make sure she wakes up from all her naps. My heart can’t take this.”
The post has been shared more than 146,000 times.
Middleton tells Yahoo Lifestyle that her grandmother has lived in her neighborhood for 38 years. Middleton says she has been attached at the hip to her grandmother since she was young. And now that bond is even stronger.
“She was diagnosed with lung cancer two years ago. After going through with surgery to remove a part of her lung, six months later she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Two separate cancers less than a year apart, it has been an extremely long two years to say the least. Thankfully, she is still fighting today,” she told Love What Matters.
Middleton has tried to get Bray to move in with her for years.
“Unfortunately, she is just as stubborn as I am and has refused that offer many times. The main reason, she has lived in her house for 38 years this Thanksgiving and it is the one thing that has remained constant,” she said. “She loves her home, her independence, her yard, and especially her neighbors. Every morning around 6 am, she wakes up, makes a cup of coffee, and goes directly to her porch.”
Middleton works full time in the emergency department at a hospital and she’s also a full-time student. So it’s hard for Middleton to get her grandmother back and forth to her treatments and appointments.
Thankfully Bray has phenomenal neighbors who love her very much.
“There are two women who live on both sides of her, and they have stepped up to help me get her to appointments and check on her throughout the day,” Middleton told Yahoo Lifestyle.
Bray’s youngest neighbor, 7-year-old Caleb is “especially close with” her.
“They have lived next to each other for as long as I can remember. The first time Nama and Caleb ever interacted was over an extra plate of food Nana had made and given to him,” Middleton explains. “You would have thought Nana had given him a $100 bill. He was so grateful and thankful for a steak dinner. Caleb has recently moved in with his grandmother and his dad, along with his two other brothers.”
But even before Caleb moved next store, he would stop by every day to visit his grandma and check on Bray. And Middleton says the boy will never know much he means to her.
“My nana is so attached to him and the bond they have is incredible. He doesn’t come from much, but you can tell he has been raised on love. He will bust out a dance move in a heartbeat, will go on and on about how much he loves school, and make you laugh until you cry,” Middleton said.
“This kid deserves the love he has received from this post. He stands out from the norm and brings so much joy into everyone’s life he is around. I am so thankful for him and the love he has shown my grandmother. I know for certain it has helped her on her hardest days. He will never know how much I truly appreciate him. I hope one day he realizes the impact he has left on her life and mine as well.”
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