Striking up an unlikely friendship, a man in his 30s bonded immediately with the sassy older woman across the hallway. However, after spending nights making food together and talking, a devastating reality rocked their world.
A beautiful story in 2017 about human connection touched many people’s hearts. The duo’s bond began when Chris Salvatore waved at his 89-year-old interior designer neighbor, Norma Cook, from across the hallway of his apartment.
The actor and singer eventually invited himself over to her house. With glasses of champagne in their hands, the two immediately clicked, with Salvatore referring to her as his best friend. However, an illness ruffled their close bond.
A Spanner in the Works
Sadly, a few years into this friendship, the woman he described as “friendly but sassy” was diagnosed with leukemia and chose to stop treatment, with her lifespan cut short to an estimated two months. The former interior designer didn’t want to be placed in a frail care facility, but her doctors insisted that she needed around the clock assistance.
Initially, her best friend set up a GoFundMe page to help pay for at-home care. In an interview, he revealed that it took only five hours to raise enough money for Cook to return home. Seven hours into the fundraiser had raised more than $25,000!
A month later the campaign had reached over 50,000 dollars which was a “miracle!” Salvatore shared at the time how happy he was to give Cook the gift of being able to live her last days at home and couldn’t imagine people spending the ends of their lives in hospital without their pets or friends.
In November 2020, he and Cook appeared in an Instagram post holding a GoFundMe check for 34,445 dollars However, eventually, the money from these donations ran out, so Salvatore decided to become her caretaker instead.
