It’s been nine years since this tearjerker occurred, but this story of giving from the repossession industry makes me remember just how great so many of you are. This timeless story comes to us from the angelic deeds of the fine folks at Relentless Recovery of Ohio. If this doesn’t make you choke up, you need to make sure your heart is still beating.
Ten-year-old Ania answered the knock at her door in Garfield Heights. Her mom was on the couch, immobilized by illness. It was the repo man. ”I thought, ‘This is not good,’ ” said Ania’s mom, Diana Parks, who’d had a lot of bad moments this year. In May, she learned that she has a pituitary tumor. She had seizures and difficulty walking, plus other problems doctors are trying to diagnose.
Parks, a 33-year-old single mother, had to drop out of pharmacy school at Cleveland State University and give up her part-time job in the pharmacy department at a local hospital. 
She fell behind on payments for her 2011 Nissan Versa, and on bills for rent and electricity.
”I was working so hard so we could do better,” she said. ”And then I got sick.”
On Wednesday, Ania told the repo man that her mom was sick, and that, at that moment, she might be having a seizure.
He said, ”You want me to call 911?”
His name is Scott. He doesn’t want his last-named use, because he thinks this story is not about him.
Parks gathered herself as Ania explained their predicament.
Scott, who works for Relentless Recovery, consoled them for an hour. ”And then he was literally crying,” said Lisa Wixon, a repo trainee who went with Scott.
”He’s apologizing and I’m like,’Don’t apologize, you’re just doing your job,”’ said Parks.
Scott is one of the most relentless agents at Relentless. He averages more than 70 cars per month.
”I’ve never let a car go,” he said.
But Diana was hurting, her home was immaculate, and her daughter was stunningly polite.
He called his boss, Relentless Recovery co-owner Dave Ziebro.
”I can’t do this one, Dave,” he said. ”Do what you’ve got to do to me.”
Ziebro listened, struck by the depth of Scott’s concern ”Repossessers are money-motivated people and you can’t take too much interest in personal situations,” he said. ”We’ve heard it all. We hear a lot of people who try to excuse themselves from their obligations. So, to see a guy walk away from a repo and to hear his concern, I was kind of compelled by that.”
Scott pulled cash out of his own pocket and insisted Parks take it. He told his boss he’d give up half his paycheck until the car payments were up to date.
But Zeibro and his business partner, Amy Bednar, wouldn’t take his money. They agreed to cover her delinquent car payments themselves, plus next month’s. They’re looking to help with rent, too.
Bednar says they couldn’t ignore her.
“If you see someone in need, just go ahead and help them. You can’t take the money with you when you go. Just go ahead and keep passing it on. Pay it forward. Everything you’ve seen here today, take it with you. Pay it forward,” said Bednar.
Then they got Ania’s Christmas gift list and divided it among their staff members.
”Trampoline (with net), fake blood, North Face jacket, balance board (gymnastics/cheerleading) … Spongebob Squarepants Christmas gumball machine, Disney Fairies Tinkerbell bubble fan … cotton candy maker … hoverboard … I really want the trampoline.”
Parks couldn’t believe it.
”For him to do what he did, All I could do was say ‘Thank you, Lord.’ They’re like angels,” she said. ”My daughter says, ‘Mom, there are nice people. I told you it would work out.’ She’s just ten. And she’s right.”
Hat’s off to the folks at Relentless Recovery. Class act!
I have been unable to find any follow up news on Diana Parks or her illness, but we pray that no news is good news and that she and her daughter are healthy, living well and never again have any visits from recovery agents except in celebration. While not every story like this makes the news, I know they are out there and we all have opportunities every day to make a positive impact on someone’s life. Seek them, find them and do good. – Kevin
Source: The Plain Dealer
Republished from December 13, 2015
Merry Christmas Everyone!
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