Most bus drivers are content with simply picking their students up and dropping them off at school. They never really bond with the kids.
However, bus driver Arethla Sherman is not just any bus driver.
Her recent act of kindness towards one of her daily passengers, a five-year-old girl named Anna Hopson, is warming hearts all across America.
Anna was born with Charcot-Marie-Tooth — a rare degenerative nerve disease.
It means she will never be able to walk and her muscles will likely continue to weaken as she gets older. Her condition also means she is used to spending a lot of time in the hospital. However, the young girl has never let her CMT diagnosis get her down.
“The fact that she has so much going on in her life, but she’s always happy — and she’s always bubbly — and she’s always, ‘Hey, Ms. Sherman!’ And then we just started communicating,” Sherman told CBS News.
When Sherman first started picking up the student, she couldn’t believe how high-spirited she was.
The two got to talking, and that was that — they became instant friends. Greeting Anna every morning quickly became one of her favorite parts of the day.
“I mean, I may have a bad morning, but once I see her, it’s different,” she said.
No matter what is going on in Sherman’s life, as soon as she sees Anna rolling up to get on the bus, her mood instantly improves.
Anna’s mom, Kathleen Hopson, first took notice of her daughter’s friendship with the bus driver when Sherman personally stopped by the house after school one day to check on the family. Anna hadn’t gotten on the bus that morning because she was sick, and Sherman just wanted to make sure that the girl was okay.
“I thought, ‘Well, she didn’t have to do that,'” said Hopson.
The acts of kindness didn’t stop there though.
Earlier this year, for Anna’s birthday, Sherman decorated the whole bus in a party theme and even bought Anna a princess dress and tiara to wear. It was a beautiful way of celebrating her special day.
“All she could do was just take her hands up and say, ‘All this for me?’ It was just so overwhelming,” said Sherman.
Anna and her family were blown away. However, the most incredible surprise of all was still yet to come.
A few months later, Sherman asked the five-year-old to be the flower girl at her upcoming wedding.
It was a huge honor. Hopson had always hoped to see her daughter in a wedding, and the realization that the dream was actually coming true was very exciting.
“I want her to have as many experiences as she can,” said Hopson.
Participating in the wedding was one of the greatest gifts anyone had ever given to Anna.
The whole family was ecstatic about the entire process. Hopson added that the best part was getting to watch Anna dance with her dad. Understandably, it was a very emotional day for everyone involved.
No one ever expected the unlikely friendship to blossom the way it did, but that’s exactly what happened. The kind bus driver opened her heart to the young girl and her family and helped them to make memories that they will be able to hold onto forever.
Watch the full video of the heartwarming news story from CBS below.
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