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Aubrey is a FedEx driver who has made regular delivery stops in a rural neighborhood in Indiana. During her stops there, she would see an 11-year-old boy, Elijah, playing basketball with an old and rusty bent hoop
It was crazy to me how happy he was with the broken hoop. Every time I saw him, he was so joyful playing basketball. Seeing him so happy stuck with me, said Aubrey.
The FedEx driver thought about Elijah many times over the months, and decided that she wanted to bless him in a special way. "I just wouldn't stop thinking about it. I really wanted to get him a hoop. He deserves it."
Aubrey went out and bought a new basketball hoop and installed it when the family wasn't home. She left a note that read： "Just wanted you and your son to have the best hoop that'll grow with him and all his friends." She signed herself "just one of the FedEx drivers in the area."
"I read the note, and the moment I realized who it was from, I started to cry," said Coledo, Elijah's mom. "When Elijah came home and I showed it to him, he got really emotional. He got teary-eyed but he's an 11-year-old boy, so he really didn't want to admit he was crying, laughed Coledo. "He just sat there for 10 minutes staring at the hoop until it really touched him that she went out of her way to do something just for him."
Aubrey had no idea how much her surprise gift had impacted Elijah and his family. They all had gone through a difficult year with Coledo's husband suffering a serious injury, and Coledo crashing her car. "It's just been a hard year. We're so humbled and grateful she would do this for us. This has been a huge thing for us," said Coledo.
When Aubrey made another FedEx delivery to their neighborhood, Elijah saw her, ran to her and hugged her. Elijah also gave Aubrey a card he made for her. And he invited her to play a game of basketball with him and his younger brother.
"It was almost like we'd always known each other. I really bonded with the boys," said Aubrey. "I'm just really happy they know that someone is out there for them."