Valerie Watts, anticipating the arrival of her baby, Noah, experienced heartbreak when he was stillborn. Despite her grief, she held onto his crib as a painful reminder. During a yard sale, Gerald Kumpula noticed the crib and asked to buy it, unaware of its history. Reluctantly, Watts agreed to sell it, explaining later, “When he asked me if I was selling that, that he made benches, I hesitated.”
Kumpula, upon learning from his wife about Watts’s loss, decided to transform the crib into a bench. He then surprised Watts by returning it to her, saying, “I started crying instantly,” Watts recalled. Now serving as a poignant symbol of her journey through grief, the bench offers comfort and a tangible link to her son.
This gesture of kindness has deeply touched Watts, illustrating how a simple act can provide solace amidst profound loss.
