How well-known are your neighbors to you? Are you sufficiently familiar with them to welcome them into your home? What would happen if you asked them to live with you?
Chris Salvatore moved in across the hall from 85-year-old Norma Cook and her cat, Hermes, in 2013. They always waved to one another, but when Salvatore introduced himself, they quickly became friends.
In fact, they became so close that Salvatore, an actor who was 31 years old at the time and needed constant care for Norma, asked her to move in.
Norma’s health began to deteriorate rapidly when she turned 89. Salvatore found out after Cook was admitted to the hospital that he would not be permitted to return home unless he continued his therapy. She was gone when her own or her family’s children weren’t around.
Salvatore started a GoFundMe account to raise money for Cook. The 31 years old realized he needed to do more after the two best friends tried a few housekeepers.
He told TODAY, “The only other option was for her to go into a facility.” Someone like my grandmother, I just couldn’t do that to.
Cook was invited to move into his apartment by him.
“I’m glad to the point that I had the option to give her this gift to experience her last days at home,” Salvatore told GoFundMe. ” To spend the rest of my life in a hospital without friends or pets is beyond my comprehension.
They were wonderful roommates.
Cook stated to TODAY, “We’re always watching the news.” We generally talk, consume nuts, and drink champagne.
Cook passed away tragically on February 15, 2017. The devastating news was posted by Salvatore on Instagram, where he typically posts photos of the pairs adventures.
Salvatore referred to Cook and said, “She called me the grandson she never had.”
Even though Salvatore had no obligation to assist Cook in any way, he could not help but watch as she spent her final days in the hospital without anyone to care for her.
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