In a world where people don’t always know their neighbours, Chris Salvatore and Norma Cook’s story is a bright spot of kindness and hope. In 2013, 31-year-old actress Salvatore moved into the flat across from Cook, 85, and her cat, Hermes. This was the start of their amazing friendship.
As their friendship grew, Salvatore found out that Cook didn’t have any family close to take care of her. When she was 89 years old and her health started to get worse, he acted quickly and set up a GoFundMe effort to help pay for her care. But he quickly saw that more was needed.
Salvatore did something very brave when he had no other choice: he asked Cook to move into his flat. This way, she could spend her last days with love, comfort, and familiarity.
Their time as roommates was full of jokes, news, Champagne, and peanuts. Losing Cook on February 15, 2017, was very sad, but Salvatore’s kind act gave her a house and company in her last days, which were very important.
Salvatore’s story makes us think about how we treat the people in our lives and makes us want to be more like him: caring, understanding, and ready to go the extra mile for someone in need.
