A woman flying to Orlando to attend the funeral of her grandson, who died in the tragic mass shooting at Pulse nightclub, received a touching surprise from JetBlue flight attendants and her fellow passengers.
Her grandson, Luis Omar Ocasio-Capo, known to his friends as Omar, was a dancer and barista and one of the youngest victims at just 20 years old. As she made the trip to Florida alone, the JetBlue employees “made sure to be at her side every step of the way,” flight attendant Kelly Davis Karas wrote on Facebook.
Karas told the story of the outpouring of love and support the woman received on her flight in a viral Facebook post that has been shared more than 75,000 times. “She was understandably distraught, but met us with kindness and gentleness. And gratitude,” she wrote of the mourning grandmother on Tuesday, June 14.
With the help of fellow staffer Melinda Sloop Winstead, Karas decided to pass around paper for travelers to make cards and write messages to Omar’s grandmother. “When we gathered them together to present them to her, we didn’t have just a sheet of paper covered in names, which is what I had envisioned,” Karas wrote. “Instead, we had page after page after page after page of long messages offering condolences, peace, love and support. There were even a couple of cash donations, and more than a few tears.”
“As we deplaned, EVERY SINGLE PERSON STOPPED TO OFFER HER THEIR CONDOLENCES,” she continued. “Some just said they were sorry, some touched her hand, some hugged her, some cried with her. But every single person stopped to speak to her, and not a single person was impatient at the slower deplaning process.”
“I will never forget today #Orlandoproud,” the flight attendant concluded.
Earlier this week, JetBlue announced on its company blog that it would be offering free flights to and from Orlando to all family members and domestic partners of those killed or injured in the deadliest shooting in U.S. history. The airline is also waiving change fees for all passengers traveling through Orlando in the wake of the tragedy.
