Many of us are so used to passing homeless people that we have become insensitive to the hard struggle they face every day, lying on concrete and begging for money. A 54-year-old man knew well what it was like to sleep on concrete, but two compassionate souls helped him.
Sleeping on the streets of Los Angeles, Pedro Reid always kept one eye open while he slept, just in case someone tried to steal his few belongings. The homeless man felt invisible, as if no one considered him human.
Reid moved to the California town from Charleston in the late 1990s. Unfortunately, he fell into various addictions and found himself homeless. He could not take care of himself or find a way to return to his family in South Carolina. Until 2020, Reed had not kept in touch with his loved ones for two decades…
Randy Emmans-Baylin is a woman who, along with her boyfriend John Suazo, runs The Backpack Project, which provides backpacking essentials to the homeless. The couple happened to cross paths with Reid. That’s how she and her partner got to talk to him. On Facebook, Emmans-Bylin wrote:
“Wow, I cried all night and am still crying as I write this. I can’t imagine what this man, or any other person on the street, has been through.”
She explained in the message that she provided him with one of her backpacks and a blanket. Emmans-Baylin asked for donations through Venmo so she could pay for a hotel for him for one night. She also explained that the homeless man had been deprived of contact with his family.
As luck would have it, donations started pouring in. After about three days, the amount reached $6500, which was used to pay for the hotel and other necessities.
In addition, Emmans-Bailyn and Suazo managed to find his uncle, who tearfully said he was coming to get his nephew. They also used some of the donations to bring some of his family members to Los Angeles and provide them with housing and a rental car.
Emmans-Baylin shared clips and photos of the beautiful and touching family reunion on Instagram.
In the description, speaking of her new friend, she wrote:
“He has touched our hearts forever and we will miss him. We can’t wait to see what awaits him in this chapter.”
The photos showed many family members posing and hugging each other as they sobbed uncontrollably, not wanting to let go of each other’s embrace.
