A grieving mother who was flying across the United States to bury her son was handed a heart-warming note by a flight attendant.
Tricia Belstra, 48, lost her son Kyle, 25, earlier this month when he committed suicide after breaking up with his high school girlfriend.
Belstra, of Thornton, Colorado, was flying to Indiana to attend Kyle’s funeral when she received a message of support from a flight attendant who had heard her story.
A portion of the letter read: ‘This is your story and you owe it to yourself and your son to make sure that you survive this.
‘You’ll come out of this a stronger person and I’ll be rooting for you the whole time.’
Tricia Belstra, 48, was flying from Colorado to Indiana to bury her son Kyle, 25. The young man had committed suicide after breaking up with his girlfriend on August 13. Pictured: Belstra and Kyle at his graduation
Belstra ended up telling her story to a flight attendant. She later received a supportive note from the crew member about suicide (pictured)
Belstra was flying to Indiana after her son Kyle, a Walmart manager, killed himself in his girlfriend’s bedroom in New Hampshire.
The mother said she spent most of the flight feeling sick, overwhelmed and shaky and spent the plane ride with a sick bag between her knees.
During the flight, she was served by a young male flight attendant who poured her drinks and asked her what was wrong.
Through tears, Belstra told him she was flying for her son’s funeral, which was set to take place the following day.
As Belstra stepped off the South West flight, the crew member handed her a napkin with a note scrawled on it, which made her burst into tears.
It read: ‘In 2004, my family lost my older brother. As traumatic as it still is for me, I can’t even pretend to truly know the pain you feel as a mother.
‘I did, however, watch my mother’s grieving process (a process that will never end).
‘Firstly, being a mother is about giving birth to new life as a promise to the future.
‘Your mission doesn’t end now – your son’s life is bigger than his death and always will be.
Belstra said she read the note as she stood in the terminal and burst into tears
A portion of the letter read: ‘This is your story and you owe it to yourself and your son to make sure that you survive this. You’ll come out of this a stronger person and I’ll be rooting for you the whole time’
The note continued: ‘My mom struggled desperately chasing a far away goal of somehow lessening the pain. As she has realized now, the pain hardly lessens.
‘Don’t expend your energy trying to chase this. Instead, go all out finding opportunities to experience joy. Visit family, get closer to those you’ve lost touch with, travel.
‘This is your story and you owe it to yourself and your son to make sure that you survive this. Do not pressure yourself.’
On the back, it continued: ‘This world is full of people who do truly care about you, even if it doesn’t feel that way.
‘I won’t stop thinking about you anytime soon or how you’re doing or what you’re up to.
‘You’ll come out of this a stronger person and I’ll be rooting for you the whole time.’
The day after receiving the note, Belstra buried Kyle and held the napkin with her throughout the funeral
Belstra said: ‘When I got into the terminal I opened it and I read it and just burst into tears because it was so beautiful.
‘For a young man like that to take the time to write that, it just went to my heart.
‘I think it was an amazing thing to do. It was heartfelt and so loving and caring and to think of him writing that made me feel so warm at that horrible time.’
The day after receiving the note, Belstra buried Kyle and held the napkin with her throughout the funeral.
Belstra added: ‘He had so much potential. He made friends with everybody. He didn’t have an enemy out there. He was a great kid.’
Belstra said of her son Kyle: ‘He had so much potential. He made friends with everybody. He didn’t have an enemy out there. He was a great kid’
She also showed it to the priest who directed the service and asked him to bless the flight attendant, whose identity she does not know.
The mom, who also has a daughter, Joana, has now had it laminated and says she’ll keep it forever.
‘It went a long way,’ she said.
‘I don’t know who this flight attendant is and I don’t want to out him if he doesn’t want to come out.
‘I just want him to know that what he did was appreciated.’