A poor boy assisted an elderly man in achieving his dream, unaware that his own life would be transformed the very next day

What started as a chance fishing trip with an old man changed my life forever.

I lived in a trailer with my mom, who struggled after an accident left her in pain. One day, while tossing a soccer ball, a shiny SUV pulled up, and an elderly man stepped out, offering to knock down my makeshift bowling pins.

He proposed a deal: if he struck down the bottles, I’d owe him a favor. If not, he’d give me a hundred bucks. He struck down all the bottles and asked me to go fishing with him the next day.

The next morning, we drove to a secluded pond that meant a lot to him. He shared that he used to come here with his son, who had passed away due to medical costs he couldn’t afford. I comforted him, and as we fished, we accidentally fell into the pond while reeling in a huge fish.

After our day together, he thanked me, saying it meant more than I knew. The next day, a man in a suit delivered a life-changing package from the old man: money for my mom’s medical care and my education.

Months later, I received a letter from him, revealing he didn’t survive heart surgery after our fishing trip. He expressed gratitude for the peace I had given him and urged me to never give up.

Fifteen years later, I watched my kids play in the yard of the home I built for my mom. She told me the old man would be proud. I smiled, knowing it wasn’t just the money he left, but the reminder to persevere. His spirit lived on in me, guiding me every step of the way.