December 7, 2020
This story recently went viral on Twitter and was first reported by Jackfroot. Many people argued the story was fake, until both the 19-year-old, his mother, and the person who gave him the vehicle shared their story online.
“The other day I bought my first car from a great guy named Hua. When I handed him the cash, he counted out a good chunk of it and gave it back to me with the words ‘good luck in college. Pay it forward sometime in the future.’ I’m incredibly thankful for Hua and what he did for me. My mom tweeted about it and it blew up, and the next thing I know, I got a call from NPR asking to be interviewed for All Things Considered. Link in bio if y’all want to listen,” wrote 19-year-old Henry Stirman.
Henry’s mother, Shannon Sitrman, Ph.D., tweeted, “My 19-year-old son bought a car today. The guy who sold it to him took the cash, counted out $1,000, and gave it back to him, saying ‘good luck in college. Pay it forward.’ Unbelievably kind, and brought tears to my eyes.”
Dr. Kuan (the person behind the good deed) wrote, “Now over 1.2 million likes between Twitter and IG. It’s incredible how one act of human kindness has given people hope in humanity during these crazy times we live in. In contrast, it also reveals how cynical people can be after reading hateful comments such as ‘things that never happened, stolen, never seen such bullshit before, etc.’
The 19 yr old kid asked me for $200 off the sale price. I took the stack of cash, counted out $1000, and gave it back to him. I told him to have fun and study hard in college, never drink and drive, and pay it forward in the future when he is capable.
Now, most of you will look at my Instagram and say that I drive a Porsche and that $1000 is nothing to me, BUT that couldn’t be further from the truth. Do not be so quick to judge. What you don’t know is that I put myself through undergrad and dental school (loans!) and worked my ass off 6 days a week after I graduated for 2-3 years and still average 4.5 days of work now. Dentists have been affected by Covid-19 with closures, reduced hours, and patients. I also switched jobs 2 weeks ago and you could say that my financial outlook is not as posh as you’d like to believe. These are uncertain and difficult times for everyone (myself included) and that amount is still a lot of money for me and my humble upbringing.
Now why did I do it? Because it felt right at that moment. The kid worked hard to earn and save his money, he was respectful, and he had his head straight. I wanted him to experience human kindness, that transcends money and pay it forward to future generations. I’m a firm believer that kindness can only be learned by receiving it (there’s nothing more to it). I never expected this to blow up, but reading everyone’s similar positive experiences does bring hope to humanity. If you’re still doubtful still cynical about my intentions of the transaction, then I have nothing else to say.”
Feature Cover via Jackfroot & Instagram