'There are good people': Payday loan shop surprises mother of child with cancer

CTV Toronto: Loan agency helps Whitby family A Whitby mom went into a loan agency for help dealing with her seriously ill son and came out with more than money. Scott Lightfoot reports.

When staff at a Whitby, Ont. payday loan provider called Kelly Tugnett back into the office a day before her loan was due, the cash-strapped mother thought the worst.

Her 5-year-old son Jackson has been living with an aggressive and highly malignant form of cancer since he was six months old. Both his bladder and his prostate have been removed.

Tugnett says paying for her son’s medical expenses has not been easy.

“I didn’t have the money to buy him the diapers he needed,” she told CTV Toronto on Wednesday.

Tugnett happened to mention her tough financial situation and her ailing son’s love of the Toronto Blue Jays at the local Ca$h 4 You. She told staff that Jackson was excited about attending an upcoming game thanks to a charity group.

Tugnett returned to the shop to find staff had filled a basket with Jays swag, including a shirt, hat, bat, and a ball, as well as a gift card for her to help cover the cost of necessities. The random act of kindness caught her completely off guard.

“There are good people in this world, and it’s just little things like that that can make such a difference in someone’s life,” Tugnett said.

With a report from CTV Toronto’s Scott Lightfoot