What This Inspiring Store Clerk Gave a Stranger Now Hangs on Her Wall

Heather Hogeboon wants the whole world to know about a good deed—an inspiring act of kindness by a young shop clerk at Spencer’s, who bought a gift for a stranger in his store.

Fighting the good fight against breast cancer for nine years, Heather wears pink a lot. The 43-year-old is now dealing with the version that is called stage four, metastasized.

She was feeling very cheeky on Saturday—out on the town in Plattsburgh, New York with friends who surprised her in a limo and took her to dinner. They even decided to have some fun at a Spencer’s Gifts store. (Anyone who’s been to a Spencer’s shop might have turned a shade of pink themselves, after seeing the gag gifts and Playboy decor in their 600 stores.)

The zumba dancer was being her “usual fun self” when a manager came over and said an employee had asked if he could buy her a pink bandana. “Of course,” she said, and headed over to meet Austin.

“This young man opened his wallet and paid for this hot pink bandana for me,” she recalled.

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She was impressed and happy, but it wasn’t until after she asked a friend to snap a photo, and arrived back home, that something dropped out of the folded scarf and left her speechless.

Austin had slipped a note inside and it read (with a smiley face drawing):

Keep fighting the good fight. You’re an inspiration, Austin

“This note (and bandana) means so much to me that I tacked it to the wall next to my bed,” she said speaking with the Good News Network by telephone. “And, for a young person to do this . . .”

Because she is a big fan of “paying it forward, and paying it back,” she made three phone calls, climbing the chain of command at Spencer’s to try to get Austin officially acknowledged for his good deed.

After talking with the regional manager of New York, she called the corporate headquarters.

“That lady said she has never heard of anything like this before, (and) she is going to see that he receives an employee recognition badge and a Spencer’s gift card.”

Heather, who is also a published poet, intends to send the young gentleman a thank-you note and a copy of the photo so he can remember the moment.

She told GNN, “I wanted this story to go viral, to show other young people what they can do with their compassion —It helps others.”

“He is an inspiration to me!”