In a now-viralTikTokposted on Dec. 9, 2024, Hannah White explained how her mom, Kathleen Nelson, had been in the hospital for undiagnosed pneumonia, adding that she’d “had surgery and was doing well.”
Courtesy of Hannah White
White then got a call from her brother to say their mom’s body had gone into septic shock “and family needed to visit her immediately” as “doctors did not know what was wrong or how long she had.”
White then headed out on “the first flight the following day from Dallas, with a connection in Minneapolis.” However, due to “mechanical issues” they ended up sitting in the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport for over an hour, meaning she probably wouldn’t make her connecting flight.
She said that if she didn’t make the second plane, “I wouldn’t see my mom until the following day and we weren’t sure she’d be alive,” per the TikTok clip.
TikToker Hannah White as a little girl and her mother Kathleen Nelson.Courtesy of Hannah White
After speaking to a flight attendant, White was told that she was going to miss the connecting flight and had already been booked on a flight the following day.
“As she explained this, I immediately started welling up with tears. She apologized and cried with me. I bawled in my seat, knowing there was a possibility I wouldn’t be able to see my mom one last time,” White wrote over the TikTok clip, before explaining that the attendant shared the story with the pilot, who arranged for the connecting flight to wait for her.
“The man next to me realized they were speaking about me, so he pulled up a map of the airport and helped me find my connecting gate. He told me to run as fast as I could as soon as we land,” White wrote.
She ended up making it to the connecting flight after they waited for her for 30 minutes, revealing how kind staff were, as well as saying the pilot shook her hand and said he’d pray for her.
TikToker Hannah White thanked Delta for helping her to spend a final day with her mom Kathleen Nelson.Courtesy of Hannah White
“My mom passed away the next day. Delta’s kindness gave me 24 extra hours with her. I was able to say ‘I love you’ one last time and provide the comfort for her in her final moments, that she provided for me my whole life,” White wrote, thanking the airline and saying “you gave me the gift of time.”
Since she posted it last month, White’s clip has had 1.9 million likes and been watched 10.2 million times as of Tuesday, Jan. 7.
“I was definitely in shock that so many people were extending such kindness to me that day,” White tells PEOPLE. “However, I was so focused on making it to see my mother, that I didn’t stop to process all that had happened until I finally made it to my mother’s side. I shared the story with my family, and it truly was a miracle what happened to me!”
As for the viral response to her video, White never expected the post to get so many views.
And White knows her mother would be appreciative of all the help she received on her way to see her for the last time.
“My mom and I were very close, so I know she would be so grateful to the crew members for helping me make it to her before her passing,” she says. “I also like to think my mom was holding on for all of her children to be there with her, in some way.”
The flight attendant who helped White that day was Eva Ortiz, perCNN Travel, with the pilot, Captain Keith Napolitano, telling the outlet of the incredible outcome, “The stars don’t always align where I have the immediate ability to affect the outcome, but this was one of those cases where I felt it was possible.”
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TikToker Hannah White’s late mother Kathleen Nelson remembered.Courtesy of Hannah White
White thanked the staff for the “overwhelming” and “totally unexpected response” in one of her follow-up videos onTikTok, revealing that she’d been in touch with Delta’s CEO, who assured her the team responsible for helping her that day would be getting the recognition they deserve.
“It brings us some comfort knowing that our people were able to assist Hannah in reaching her destination in time to be with her mother. Our team understands how important these moments are, and we thank Hannah for trusting us with her travel,” they added.
source: people.com
