People are mourning the loss of a loved one all over the world as Covid-19 numbers continue to rise, but this man has been mourning the loss of his beloved wife for over a year now, long before the virus came along. It just hurts a little bit more, now that he is stuck in quarantine.
Ken Bonbow is a 94-year-old World War II veteran who lives at Thistleton Lodge, a senior care facility in Lancashire, England. He lost Ada, his partner who had been with him for 71 years, back in 2019.
Ever since the loss of Ada, Ken slept with a framed photo of her. That is until one of his caregivers, 17-year-old Kia Tobin, blew his mind with something that was somehow even better.
Kia is a particularly selfless person — definitely a good one to have by your side — as she decided to move into the facility to help seniors during the pandemic.
Kia surprised Ken with a pillow that had a photo of Ada on it.
Ken couldn’t help but to break down in tears as soon as he laid eyes on the pillow. The loss of his wife has been very hard on him over the last year and Kia knows that. It is why she decided to surprise him with the gift.
Luckily for us, the moment the pillow was given to Ken was captured on video and later shared on Thistleton Lodge’s Facebook page earlier this month. The clip had the whole world swooning and it has earned thousands of likes and comments.
“We know our residents are missing their loved ones at this time but let’s not forget those who sadly aren’t here with us anymore. Today, one of our lovely staff Kia Mariah Tobin gave Ken a pillow with his beloved wife on who we also cared for. Safe to say we all shed a tear with Ken today. Lots of love, your Thistleton Lodge family,” they wrote in the video caption.
A beautiful love story.
Diving a little bit deeper into the two love birds’ story, Ken and Ada met many, many years ago when Ken moved to Liverpool, after leaving the Navy. They met, danced, fell in love and got engaged shortly after. Boom, nothing but love from the very beginning.
“Ada was the most wonderful, most caring wife,” Ken later told BBC Breakfast. “We were married for 71 years, and it broke my heart when she left me, but now I’ve got her every night in my arms.”
The good news is that Ken has been receiving nothing but love while living in the facility. Kia, in particular, has been very kind too.
“I came here to this lovely home, where they are, every one of them, marvelous and so caring,” Ken also told Good Morning Britain. “They don’t see you wanting for anything.”
According to Ken, the pillow was the “most precious thing anyone could ever wish for,” and we totally agree. It was so sweet for Kia to even think of doing something so generous for Ken, who was hurting.
Watch Ken’s reaction to the sweet gift below.
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