Most of us have experienced the imminent pitfalls of airline baggage checks at one time or another.
But after cancer patient Stacy Hurt lost luggage containing the medications to alleviate the side effects of her chemotherapy treatments last month, a Southwest Airlines employee came through in a big way.
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Sarah Rowan, a customer service agent in Southwest Airlines' Pittsburgh office, fetched Hurt's lost belongings around 2 a.m. and delivered them to Hurt in time for her chemotherapy appointment that morning.
Rowan, 27, had answered a customer call from a panicked Hurt, who had just flown from Nashville to Pittsburgh on a Southwest flight, according to an ABC News story this week.
Hurt, 46, had changed her reservation to a direct flight to make it home in time for her monthly cancer treatment appointment the next morning, but her luggage remained on her previously booked connecting flight, which had to return to Nashville because of mechanical issues, ABC reported.
Hurt had told Rowan of her 9 a.m. chemotherapy appointment. When Hurt's bag finally arrived around 2 a.m. at Pittsburgh International Airport, the Southwest employee was just getting off her shift.
"I looked up her address to see how far away she lived and she lived about 20 minutes away,” Rowan told ABC. “So in my head, me getting home a little bit later was less important than her getting the bag she needed for her chemotherapy treatment.”
Hurt awoke that morning to see her luggage sitting on her front porch in Bridgeville, Pennsylvania. It bore a note wishing her good luck at her appointment, which she posted on Facebook.
News of Rowan's good deed reached Southwest, which shared the note on its Facebook page last week.
"We are very proud of Sarah’s kind, empathetic actions that represent the best of Southwest hospitality and the legendary customer service that our wonderful employees aim to deliver every day,” the airline said in a statement to ABC News.
For good measure, Southwest also reportedly sent Hurt a "swag bag" with a phone charger, earbuds and other travel-related goodies.