Hopping on the school bus to get to school is pretty far from exciting.
Unless your bus driver is Arethla Sherman that is.
Sherman is known for being a compassionate and caring bus driver. She has a special bond with all of the kids she drives but she has a one-of-a-kind bond with Anna Hopson.
Anna is 5-years-old. She was born with a rare progressive neuromuscular disorder called Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. According to Mayo Clinic, the nerve damage is primarily to the arms and legs.
But the disease hasnโt slowed Anna down nor has it wiped any smiles from her face.
When Sherman pulls her bus up to Annaโs house, Anna canโt help but be filled with joy. After all, she calls Sherman her best friend.
โI love you,โ she tells Sherman who just as genuinely, says it back.
โThe fact that she always has so much going on in her life but sheโs always happy, always bubbly,โ Sherman recounts to Steve Hartman for CBS Evening News.
The two became close just last year.
It began when Sherman noticed that Anna didnโt get on the school bus one morning. Concerned, she stopped by to check up on the young girl.
โAnd I thought, โshe didnโt have to do that,'โ Annaโs mother, Kathleen, said.
But Sherman didnโt stop there. For Annaโs fifth birthday, she decided to decorate the entire bus with birthday decorations.
She also bought Anna a princess dress and a tiara for the big day.
Anna was touched that Sherman had gone the extra length to make her birthday special.
โAll this for me?โ Sherman says Anna asked as she looked about the bus, admiring the decorations.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BwFQSu7BH4X/
Sherman shares that seeing Anna react the way she did was simply โoverwhelming.โ
Most recently, Sherman got married and asked Anna if she would like to be a part of her big day. Anna, of course, said yes.
Anna had the honor of being the flower girl for Shermanโs wedding. She even got to share a dance with her father after the ceremony.
What a touching event!
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0dfEunA4OM/
It isnโt lost on Kathleen how much these moments mean to her daughter. The disease makes a lot of tasks difficult and even impossible to achieve.
โI want her to have as many experiences as she can,โ she says before tearing up.
She always wanted to see her daughter in a wedding and Shermanโs invitation allowed her to see just that.
Their heartwarming video has over 133,000 views on Youtube. Several of the comments echo one another. Many say that the bus driver is truly an angel and Anna is a beautiful little girl!
โThere was one point during this story that I couldnโt see from the tears filling my eyes. What a beautiful little girl and beautiful woman. We can learn much from them. Their bond is everlasting.โ
โGod sends Angelโs in every form.โ
โSheโs no bus driverโฆshe is a BEAUTIFUL ANGEL!!!!โ
โBeautiful child beautiful lady beautiful story! Yea Iโm cryingโ
They are quite right! This is an incredibly touching story. Share it with your family and friends if you feel compelled to lift someone elseโs spirits!
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
