Watch CBS News

Southwest Employee Goes Above And Beyond For Cancer Patient

The internet is going crazy over a Southwest Airlines employee who went above and beyond.

Sarah Rowan, a Southwest Airlines customer service agent, has been trained to deal with a number of travel-related problems, including lost luggage. That's how she met Stacy Hurt. Stacy was frantic after her bag didn't arrive with her in Pittsburgh and she made a call to Southwest.

"I immediately panicked, because I had chemotherapy the next day, and I knew that I had a lot of items in the suitcase that I needed and wanted for chemotherapy. One of them was medication. But many of them were personal items to me. I just started getting very emotional, and I started to cry," Stacy told KDKA in Pittsburg.

Sarah assured Stacy they would find her suitcase and get it to her. "She sort of picked up on my emotion, and she said, 'We'll get that luggage to you somehow, some way,'" said Stacy.

Find it she did, but it was late in the evening and couriers were off. So, Sarah voluntarily drove to Stacy's home at 3:00 a.m.

"I've had family members who have been ill," said Sarah. "And I understand in that situation things are already rough. And if I can just do my part to make things a little bit easier, that's what led me to her house."

Sarah left the suitcase on Stacy's porch and disappeared into the night.

That morning, Stacy discovered the bag and something she didn't pack - a handwritten note from Sarah that encouraged her to "kick that cancer's butt."

Hurt posted the note on Facebook, where it got the attention of Southwest. The airlines shared the post, and of course, it went viral with the hashtag, #GuardianAngel.

 

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.