Boy Leaves Heartbreaking Note On Toy Panda Because His Mom Couldn’t Afford It
A stuffed animal might not matter much to the average person, but for a child, it could mean the world. When 10-year-old Leon Ashworth’s mom couldn’t afford to buy him a stuffed panda he desperately wanted, he wrote a forlorn note on the toy’s box pleading with shoppers not to buy it until his mom could. What happened next was so heartwarming, it will melt you.
The boy, who lives in Liverpool, England with his mom, Debbie Ashworth, first saw his beloved ‘Pandy’ at an Asda supermarket, the British equivalent of Wal-Mart. Though he was willing to wait patiently until his mom’s paycheck came in on June 15th to take the cuddly bear home, the store’s staff decided to do something incredibly thoughtful after they noticed Leon’s scribbled letter.
In search of the young author, whom they didn’t know at the time, they posted the note on Facebook – and eventually attracted the attention of Debbie Ashworth, who immediately recognized her son’s handwriting. The Asda crew invited the mom and her son back to the store, and had a wonderful surprise waiting for them. “This is the best day of my life,” Leon remarked to his mom. For Debbie, who lost a prematurely-born son in January and has struggled since, the gesture was even more meaningful.
Follow the entire touching story below, and find out how the Internet reacted!
This is ‘Pandy,’ a cuddly toy that stole the heart of 10-year-old Leon Ashworth from Liverpool, England
Image credits: David Bateman
Sadly, his mom couldn’t afford to buy Pandy until payday, so he left a solemn note with the cuddly bear
Image credits: David Bateman
My mum [doesn’t] have [enough] money, so she’s [buying] me Pandy [Friday] next week 15 June. So please don’t [buy] him, it will make me cry. Thank you so much from Hopeful [Future] Owner. Panda’s name – Pandy!
When the Asda supermarket staff noticed the note, they tracked Leon down and invited him back to the store…
Image credits: David Bateman
…Where they surprised him with Pandy, a gift they pitched in their own money to buy
Image credits: David Bateman
Leon was overjoyed, but his mom, who lost a premature baby in January, was even more touched
The Internet also had major feels, as well as incredible Asda staff stories of their own
Even the smallest gestures of kindness can mean the world to someone else, so pay it forward!
713Kviews
Share on Facebookdarn invisible ninjas cutting onions in my house again.. *wipes eyes*
yeah...I've left a very similar note on a brand new Ranch Rover.
Load More Replies...Oh, this melts my heart! My youngest daughter has a beloved Build-a-Bear panda whose name is also Pandy. Our Pandy has been on many adventures, including having to be mailed back to us from a restaurant 2-1/2 hours away that we had stopped at for dinner on our way home from vacation. Kindness is so important.
How is this heartbreaking? He got the panda it's not like he is a sad homeless boy with no hopes of getting the toy ever. He got the toy and it's more heartwarming than heartbreaking
In the daily downpour of sad and depressing news from all around the world, this is like a sweet Sunshine! :)
I love reading the hidden comments because of low ratings. Makes me warm inside.
So the team has to take money from their small wages, but Asda gets fantastic free advertising?? Nonetheless, it's a wonderful gesture from the team. <3
For those wondering why the message was on a box in the cleaning products aisle, They said on an interview on UK TV that Leon was SO desperate for the panda that he carried round with him and 'hid' it somewhere where no one else could find it, so he could go and get it when his mum had the money. The household aisle was far enough away, he thought, for no one else to find it and he wrote his message on an empty box he found on a shelf and hid the panda inside. Staff found it when they were replenishing stock. :)
Am I the only one who was very admitted by the comment in the article from the woman who said she had a "Pandy" as a child and was traumatized when her mom washed him and hung him on the line by the ears?? Hahaha!!
*entertained! I was entertained, not admitted :)
Load More Replies...I can't believe my husband is cutting onions again *grabs Kleenex wipes eyes*
This is a really nice gesture but i feel the need to mention that he didn't leave the note on the panda. It's not a huge thing to write the title a bit differently and then it will even be accurate, not just clickbait. Not that it matters, they'll change it in 2 minutes anyway.
I get what you mean, I found it a bit weird that the panda was in a box that says "bleach" on it. I was going to say maybe that was the nearest thing to the panda, so he put it in there and wrote on it, but bleach and cuddly toys aren't generally kept in the same aisle! Maybe I'm overthinking it ☺️
Load More Replies...They said on an interview on UK TV that Leon was SO desperate for the panda that he carried round with him and 'hid' it somewhere where no one else could find it, so he could go and get it when his mum had the money. The household aisle was far enough away, he thought, for no one else to find it and he wrote his message on an empty box he found on a shelf and hid the panda inside. Staff found it when they were replenishing stock. :)
Hmm I wonder if this would work for me on that Beach front Home, I've been longing to have. : )
I've come to realise after watching a video of a mum who got her parking ticket fines waived after her SON DIED, that many heartwarming stories always HAS to have Republicans whining about how the person is mooching off the state or something along those lines. America wtf is wrong with you?
Such a beautiful thing to do to help a special young man who is a credit to his mum. Xx
Accusing a kid who didn't even sign his name of an elaborate scam in order to get a stuffed animal... check Insulting a kid using gender stereotypes... check Insulting his intelligence... check This is just ugly. I'm sorry you can't fathom a boy just being a nice kid who likes stuffed animals. Did you actually think this kid wrote an anonymous note on a toy because he figured that the staff of this store would take a photo of his note, put it on Facebook, track him down, and give him the toy before his mother could buy it for him the following week?
Load More Replies...Ah yes, critiquing a 10 year old's handwriting. You're a real winner. You get extra points for slipping in a compliment for your country and how awesome it is.
Load More Replies...darn invisible ninjas cutting onions in my house again.. *wipes eyes*
yeah...I've left a very similar note on a brand new Ranch Rover.
Load More Replies...Oh, this melts my heart! My youngest daughter has a beloved Build-a-Bear panda whose name is also Pandy. Our Pandy has been on many adventures, including having to be mailed back to us from a restaurant 2-1/2 hours away that we had stopped at for dinner on our way home from vacation. Kindness is so important.
How is this heartbreaking? He got the panda it's not like he is a sad homeless boy with no hopes of getting the toy ever. He got the toy and it's more heartwarming than heartbreaking
In the daily downpour of sad and depressing news from all around the world, this is like a sweet Sunshine! :)
I love reading the hidden comments because of low ratings. Makes me warm inside.
So the team has to take money from their small wages, but Asda gets fantastic free advertising?? Nonetheless, it's a wonderful gesture from the team. <3
For those wondering why the message was on a box in the cleaning products aisle, They said on an interview on UK TV that Leon was SO desperate for the panda that he carried round with him and 'hid' it somewhere where no one else could find it, so he could go and get it when his mum had the money. The household aisle was far enough away, he thought, for no one else to find it and he wrote his message on an empty box he found on a shelf and hid the panda inside. Staff found it when they were replenishing stock. :)
Am I the only one who was very admitted by the comment in the article from the woman who said she had a "Pandy" as a child and was traumatized when her mom washed him and hung him on the line by the ears?? Hahaha!!
*entertained! I was entertained, not admitted :)
Load More Replies...I can't believe my husband is cutting onions again *grabs Kleenex wipes eyes*
This is a really nice gesture but i feel the need to mention that he didn't leave the note on the panda. It's not a huge thing to write the title a bit differently and then it will even be accurate, not just clickbait. Not that it matters, they'll change it in 2 minutes anyway.
I get what you mean, I found it a bit weird that the panda was in a box that says "bleach" on it. I was going to say maybe that was the nearest thing to the panda, so he put it in there and wrote on it, but bleach and cuddly toys aren't generally kept in the same aisle! Maybe I'm overthinking it ☺️
Load More Replies...They said on an interview on UK TV that Leon was SO desperate for the panda that he carried round with him and 'hid' it somewhere where no one else could find it, so he could go and get it when his mum had the money. The household aisle was far enough away, he thought, for no one else to find it and he wrote his message on an empty box he found on a shelf and hid the panda inside. Staff found it when they were replenishing stock. :)
Hmm I wonder if this would work for me on that Beach front Home, I've been longing to have. : )
I've come to realise after watching a video of a mum who got her parking ticket fines waived after her SON DIED, that many heartwarming stories always HAS to have Republicans whining about how the person is mooching off the state or something along those lines. America wtf is wrong with you?
Such a beautiful thing to do to help a special young man who is a credit to his mum. Xx
Accusing a kid who didn't even sign his name of an elaborate scam in order to get a stuffed animal... check Insulting a kid using gender stereotypes... check Insulting his intelligence... check This is just ugly. I'm sorry you can't fathom a boy just being a nice kid who likes stuffed animals. Did you actually think this kid wrote an anonymous note on a toy because he figured that the staff of this store would take a photo of his note, put it on Facebook, track him down, and give him the toy before his mother could buy it for him the following week?
Load More Replies...Ah yes, critiquing a 10 year old's handwriting. You're a real winner. You get extra points for slipping in a compliment for your country and how awesome it is.
Load More Replies...
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