The B.C. Cancer Foundation benefited from an unexpected act of kindness in Burnaby last Friday.
Longtime resident Pat Kostuk pulled into the Shell gas station at Canada Way and Willingdon Avenue around 8 a.m. to fill her tank and grab a coffee. While waiting in line to pay, the man in front of her was told to go ahead by a woman in front of him.
"She was in the middle of her transaction with money in her hands. While he was paying, she kindly offered him her Air Miles," Kostuk told the NOW. "When it was my turn, she motioned me to go ahead, as she didn't want to take up my time."
Seconds later, Kostuk noticed the woman had pulled out a $100 bill. She told her to take it.
"I was absolutely overwhelmed and stunned. I'm looking at her and saying, 'I can't take your money.' She explained she had just won $10,000 at the casino," Kostuk recalled.
After multiple attempts to refuse the cash, Kostuk told the mystery Samaritan she was a breast cancer survivor and that she would donate the money to the B.C. Cancer Foundation.
"She told me, 'I don't care what you do with it.' There were no conditions," she said.
Kostuk then went outside to fill her tank, realizing shortly after she had overpaid by $15. As she went back inside to get her refund, she saw that the woman was still inside.
"I thought I would buy her a lottery ticket with my refund."
But to Kostuk's surprise, the woman had cleaned house, purchasing every scratch ticket in the store.
"She told me to buy a ticket elsewhere as the pot was high," Kostuk said. "I went back to my car and tears welled up in my eyes. Who was this woman? Is this person absolutely rich or is she really poor and being benevolent? She wasn't bombed or drugged or overtired. She looked good; she was presentable and coherent."
Kostuk, a strong believer in paying it forward, kept her word and donated the money to the foundation.
"If she reads this, I want to express my gratitude to her. She restores faith in society and people. There are givers in the world and there are takers in the world. And she's a giver," Kostuk said. "To the dark-haired woman wearing a white puffy jacket, thank you for the $100, the memory and inspiration to help others."
