SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - A Point Loma woman has turned her grief into gratitude and generosity following the loss of her husband, donating a wheelchair to a family affected by the Palisades Fire.
Anne Dell’acqua and her husband, Thomas, were previously featured in a story after their wheelchair was stolen from outside their home in August. The theft garnered the attention of an ABC 10News viewer, who generously donated a new wheelchair to the couple.
Two weeks ago, Thomas passed away from complications related to Parkinson's disease.
Anne expressed to me her desire to pay forward the kindness they received.
"I believe in giving forward," she said during a past interview.
A local disability advocate assisting Los Angeles fire victims saw the story and arranged to pick up the wheelchair from Anne.
On Monday, the wheelchair was delivered to Kristina, a 41-year-old woman living with cerebral palsy, whose previous wheelchair was destroyed when her family's Malibu home burned in the wildfire.
"It's going to be helpful, when someone pushes me along," said Kristina, thankful for the support during a challenging time.
On Wednesday morning, Kristina and her mother, Shelley Cox, had the opportunity to thank Anne through a Zoom meeting.
“Thank you very much for doing that,” said Kristina.
“You’re welcome,” answered Anne.
During the heartfelt exchange, Anne expressed hopes that Kristina would enjoy the wheelchair and noted, "I know Thomas is up there saying I'm glad someone is using it. It's an amazing thing, it went to the right person."
Kristina's family plans to put the wheelchair to good use, and if they ever replace it, they intend to pay it forward by donating it as well.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
