“She called me a grandson she didn’t get.”
When 31-year-old Chris Salvador moved into a new apartment in 2013, he befriended 85-year-old Norma Cook and her cat Hermes.
It all started with a hello, and as soon as Chris introduced himself, the two of them became very close.
Chris will always accompany her on her chores around the house and help her work whenever she needs help.
When she turned 89, Norma’s health declined, and she was later hospitalized.
The only way she could get back home was to help 24 hours a day. However, since there was no one in her house to take good care of her, the chances of her returning home were slim.
When Chris found out what was going on, he decided to go inside. He was the only person Norma could trust, and he did not want to abandon her. So, Chris started a GoFundMe and raised $ 25,000 in seven hours.
A month later, GoFundMe raised $ 50,000, and Chris knew that 24-hour health care would cost a lot of money, and he decided he needed to find a long-term solution.
“The other way is for her to go to a facility,” he said today. “I could not do that to someone like my own grandmother.”
So, Chris invited Norma to go with him. “I’m so glad I was able to give her this gift of living at home for her last days,” Chris said. “I could not imagine what it would be like to go through the final stages of your life in a hospital without your friends or pets.”
Unfortunately, Norma died in February 2017, but she knew that she loved Chris and cared for her in the last days of her life.
Chris shared the sad news with his followers on his Instagram, where he would post photos and videos of himself and his “grandmother” watching, talking, and having fun eating peanuts.
As Chris says of Norma, “She called me her grandson who was not hers.” She said she would feel anxious without him.
