Toni Wilson-Taylor’s son passed away five years ago, but her plan to celebrate him on his May 16 birthday has since touched countless people.
Wilson-Taylor, a Plainfield, Indiana, resident woke Sunday intending to buy a birthday cake for a stranger to honor her beloved son, Tyler, according to Fox 8.
She contacted her Kroger grocery store and arranged to pay for a woman’s cake, then went by to leave a card with an explanation inside.
“I just wanted to do something that would make my son proud and happy,” she recalled. “It was supposed to be anonymous… I was not expecting the person who got my card to post it online.”
However, Carolyn Mick, the person who picked up the treat, was so touched when she read the note she shared a picture of it on a Facebook page for locals.
“Today is my son’s 35th birthday. His fifth one in Heaven. In his memory I’ve paid for your cake. Please enjoy, make special memories and hug your children and loved ones tight. My son loved cake!” the card, signed, “Love, Toni,” read.
A friend of Wilson-Taylor saw the Facebook post, recognized the name on the card, and reached out to connect with her. Eventually, word of her quiet gesture spread.
“I thought I was doing something so small and insignificant the other day, just… you know, asking God that Tyler knew I did something for him like that, not expecting it to touch so many lives in such a positive way,” Wilson-Taylor told WTHR.
Tyler was a doctor who unexpectedly passed away when he was just 29, the outlet said.
In the photo’s caption, Mick wrote, “Dear Toni.. you know who you are and I want to express how moved I am. This means so much that my husband and I cried together. With the turmoil of things going on it reminds us of what really matters LIFE!”
In response to all the heartfelt messages, Wilson-Taylor said she was “overwhelmed with emotion,” adding the comments “have sure touched my heart and made his birthday in heaven a blessed celebration of his life. Thank you all. May God bless you.”