Stranger's Facebook post spurs kindness for widowed dad

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- Like any good dad, Marc Sable helps his children see their path.

But the past year, it's been Marc who's struggled to find his way.

"It's been real hard just to make sure food is on the table," he said. "And (handling) everyday things with the kids."

Last winter, at just 28 years old, Marc's wife Belinda found a 14 pound tumor. First came surgery, then a diagnosis: stage 4 ovarian cancer. Within months she was gone, and soon Marc, an overnight custodian, was scrambling to provide for his two young kids. Often, they barely had the basics. Some nights, the family slept in their car.

"They've had some tough times," said Lucy Segesky, an occupational therapist who works with the Sable family at a clinic in Eden Prairie. "Sometimes you think 'What can I do? That's really sad.' But then you go on with your day and there's no action. it just takes one person to take action."

That person was Holly Lafferty, who overheard Marc's story in the clinic's waiting room, and posted a simple Facebook message asking for help.

Soon, dozens of strangers had answered, bringing clothes and toys and money for a young father they didn't know.

"I thought, 'We need to do something,'" Lafferty said. "By the time I got home that day I already had donations piling on my doorstep, and they just kept coming,"

The gifts filled an entire room at the clinic, and the hearts of two small children who have lost so much and have so little.

"Wow, look at all this stuff you guys!" Marc said as he saw the donations.

Watch the video above to see the kids' reactions to their gifts.

A fresh start for a dad and his kids, and a lesson that kindness is everywhere.

"Everybody has a village," Segesky said. "You just don't know it until you need it."

If you'd like to help the Sable Family, you can make a donation at any Wells Fargo Bank.

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