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This woman had the sweetest response after someone stole a blanket that belonged to her son who died

Sala Ioane wrote in a Facebook post: “I don’t want to report you, I don’t want to hurt you, I just wanna know if you are okay.”
Sala Ioane wrote in a Facebook post: “I don’t want to report you, I don’t want to hurt you, I just wanna know if you are okay.” Sala Ioane wrote in a Facebook post: “I don’t want to report you, I don’t want to hurt you, I just wanna know if you are okay.”

When Sala Ioane hung out a couple of her children’s blankets and jerseys in her carport, she woke up to find that someone had stolen them.

The 34-year-old, from Westport, New Zealand, said she broke down in tears when she saw the blankets had gone – not in anger or frustration at the act of theft, but because she knew there was a family out there who had no other option than to take her clothes to keep them warm.

family
family
Sala and her family (Sala Ioane)

But she was desperate to get one of the blankets back, as it belonged to her son Anthony, who passed away in 2008.

So, she posted in a Facebook group for the town where she lives called “Westport The Good The Bad And The Ugly”. And when Twitter user @hilarymcam shared a screengrab of the post with her followers, thousands of people retweeted it, with many touched by the beautiful way in which Sala reached out to the person who stole the blankets.

screengrab
screengrab
Sala’s post on Facebook (Sala Ioane)

Sala wrote in the Facebook group: “I don’t want to report you, I don’t want to hurt you, I just wanna know if you are okay or if you have children that need warm clothing, please PM me, I can’t think of any reason why you would need to steal kids blankets and warm clothes unless you were in some kind of strife and needed them.”

And she added she would leave them some warm clothing and blankets of their own.

“Please contact me, I have plenty more that you can have,” she wrote. “Just return the blue one, it was my son’s blanket and the only one I have of him before he passed, if you are too scared then leave it on the car tonight and I will leave a box of warm clothing and other blankets for you.”

Sala later posted an update underneath her post to reveal the person had not only returned her son’s blanket but had also left an apology letter too.

screengrab
screengrab
(Sala Ioane)

In response to the letter, Sala posted on Facebook: “I hope one day you will step forward so I can tell you personally that whatever you are going through it will get better and if you ever feel like the world is against you remember that not one person in this post saw you through negative sights”.

And she added: “Yes I forgive you.”

Sala explained how the woman had also written her reasons for taking the blankets in the letter – she said was in an abusive relationship and her husband had taken all of hers and her children’s belongings including money from their joint account.

woman with blanket
woman with blanket
(Sala Ioane)

Sala added the response to her Facebook post has been “overwhelming”.

“It saddens me that a simple act of kindness came as a shock to the readers as I felt it should have been an act that is just natural for any human being,” said Sala.

“But having such positive responses and hearing voices of struggle from others has brought me the healing and solace I needed at this chapter in my life.”