When Christina Summitt served a customer at the bar at the Holiday Inn in Clinton, New Jersey, she had no idea she would be the recipient of a life-altering gesture.
It all started with the pawprint tattoos on Summitt's wrist. Summitt is an avid dog rescue volunteer and a huge animal lover. A couple she was serving asked about the tattoos, and she told them about her dog Tucker, who was about to undergo an almost $3,000 surgery to remove a plastic ball he had swallowed. The man mentioned that surgery can be expensive. Summitt works three jobs, and told him she would do whatever it took to get the bill paid for Tucker's surgery.
When Summitt handed the couple their $80 tab, the man handed it back to her with a $1,000 tip included. She even verified the amount with her sister, a fellow bartender, as she couldn't believe what she was reading.
One of my favorite expressions is "Kindness is Powerful," which I often apply to the way we treat our dogs, but it should also apply to the way we treat each other. What a beautiful story of how one man's kind gesture helped to change the life of a family and their beloved dog.
Tucker's surgery was successful and he is recovering at home with his family.