Life has a way of testing our strength when we least expect it. For 40-year-old Bob Hollis, that test came the moment he received a phone call from a Florida hospital — a call that would change his life forever.
Bob had always dreamed of a big family. Having grown up in foster care himself, he understood the struggles children face without a stable home. Together with his wife Mary, they had adopted three children and were in the process of renovating their home to welcome more.
“We just wanted to give children a safe, loving place to grow,” Bob once told Mary.
Bob also had two grown children from his previous marriage to Ellen. When he met Mary a few years later, they quickly fell in love and got married. They longed for a child together, and after years of trying, Mary finally became pregnant.
To celebrate, Bob booked a trip to Florida for Mary — a destination she had always wanted to visit — even though she still had two months before her due date. But fate had other plans. Shortly after arriving in Florida, Mary went into labor unexpectedly and was rushed to the hospital. Tragically, she passed away during childbirth.
Bob immediately boarded the first flight to Florida, desperate to hold his newborn daughter. When he arrived at the hospital, he was met by an elderly volunteer named Meredith Sticks, an 82-year-old widow with a warm, steady presence.
“I’m so sorry for your loss, Mr. Hollis,” Meredith said softly, explaining the complications that had taken Mary’s life.
Through his grief, Bob told Meredith he was there to take his daughter home to Texas. The hospital released the baby into his care, and with his daughter cradled in his arms, he headed straight to the airport.
But there, another obstacle awaited.
At the boarding gate, an airline worker stopped him. “Sir, is this your child?” she asked.
“Yes, she’s my daughter,” Bob replied.
“She’s only four days old,” the woman said. “For her safety, newborns must be at least seven days old to travel by plane. You’ll need her birth certificate before we can allow you to board.”
Bob was stunned. He had no family or friends in Florida, nowhere to stay, and no way to get home. As he sat in the airport, unsure what to do next, he thought of Meredith.
When he called, she didn’t hesitate. “Come stay with me,” she said warmly.
For over a week, Bob stayed at Meredith’s home, surrounded by her kindness. She treated him and his baby like family. Bob learned she had four adult children, seven grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren — and still, she had room in her heart for one more.
When Bob finally received his daughter’s birth certificate, he returned to Texas. But he never forgot the woman who had opened her home to a stranger in need. They kept in touch for years, and when Meredith passed away, Bob was deeply moved to learn she had included him in her will.
In honor of her generosity, Bob donated the inheritance to a children’s charity he co-founded with Meredith’s family — ensuring that her legacy of compassion would live on for generations.
Sometimes, the most life-changing angels are the ones we meet by chance — and for Bob Hollis, Meredith Sticks was proof that kindness can appear when we need it most.
