A man in his 30s linked with the older woman across the corridor, forging an unusual connection. A sad truth, however, struck their life after they had spent nights conversing and preparing food together.
Many hearts were affected by a touching story in 2017. It all started when Norma Cook, an 89-year-old interior designer who lives across the hall from actor and singer Chris Salvatore, waved back.
Finally, he extended an invitation to visit her home. The two struck up a friendship while holding champagne glasses, with Salvatore referring to Maria as his best friend.
A few years into their acquaintance, Cook was sadly diagnosed with leu.kemia and decided to forego treatment, cutting her life expectancy to only two months.
The interior designer resisted being placed in a nursing home for the elderly, but the physicians insisted that she required round-the-clock care. Her closest friend initially started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for in-home care.
But when the money from these donations ran out, he made a choice to take care of her himself.
The two sipped champagne and watched the news together throughout the day. The performer said of his choice to take over the full-time care of his neighbor:
«I think kindness in people is a magical thing that can heal things that physicians can’t,»
She had a huge grandmother-like influence on Salvatore, who said he couldn’t let her be taken to a facility.
Although she survived longer than anticipated, the elderly woman’s illness eventually took its toll, and she passed away in February 2017. Salvatore said while wiping away his tears:
She was a lovely person. With her large heart and capacity to communicate with people of all ages, she impacted the world.
He chronicled his journey with Cook on Instagram, where he also made the announcement of Cook’s passing. He said that Cook’s greatest legacy was the way she personified the value of love.
He captured a lot of their great moments over the years. He appeared in these cases with Cook’s brother and posted a photo of the brother visiting his sister after a long time.
In another post, he expressed his gratitude to his followers and mentioned that his neighbor was touched by all the affection she was receiving.
The most painful posts he has published, though, are those in which he repeatedly expresses how much he still misses her…
He talked about how she would make him laugh in one from 2017 and how tough it had been to avoid talking to her in another from 2018. He shared a video of Cook confessing her love to Salvatore in 2019. The vocalist wrote the following in the description:
We had years between us and were total strangers, but we were still able to love each other despite all of our differences.
This lovely friendship is proof that two individuals who hardly know one another may change one another’s life. It all began with a simple wave across a hallway.
