Grieving Son Struggles to Print Photo of His Late Mom. What a Store Owner Does Next Leaves Him in Tears (Exclusive)
For the last year-and-a-half of his mom Donna's life, Jesse Robertson flew home to California every month to be by her side
During one of those visits, Jesse noticed a digital photo frame on the counter, scrolling through family memories, and he was stopped by a photo of Donna in the early '80s, holding balloons
After Donna died at 82, Jesse knew he wanted to get the photo copied. So, he went on an adventure to find a place to help
Jesse Robertson remembers his mom Donna's passion for nature vividly. Nothing made her happier than being outdoors — especially the time she spent with her husband in Bishop, Calif., where they would hike deep into the Sierra Nevada for a week at a time, simply to soak in the beauty of the lakes and mountains.
That love of nature inspired Donna to create a Sierra Nevada–inspired backyard at her home, complete with a small waterfall, boulders, beautiful roses and tall redwoods. It wasn't a large yard, but it wrapped around the house from left to right, with each section carefully designed and lovingly maintained by her.
At the time she built it, Donna couldn't have known that her final hours would be spent in that very yard — on a quintessentially beautiful California day — enjoying what she had created and appreciating what she would leave behind. After a long battle with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), she died at 82, at home and surrounded by family.
"My mom epitomized unconditional love," her son Jesse, 47, tells PEOPLE exclusively. "At times, I wasn't always the easiest child to raise, and each day I work on sharing the patience she showed me with my own children as they continue to navigate growing up."
"No matter how old I became, I was always her little boy, and that is something I have reflected on more and more with a great sense of gratitude in the weeks since she passed," he adds.
Jesse Robertson Jesse Robertson with his late mom Donna
Jesse Robertson with his late mom Donna
For the last year-and-a-half of Donna's life, Jesse — who lives in the Minneapolis area with his wife and two kids — flew home to California every month to be by her side. They spent time together talking about the past and her thoughts on life. And despite her pain, Jesse recalls, she would always say, "I've lived a great life. I'm just so lucky."
During one of those visits, while in his mom's kitchen, Jesse noticed a digital photo frame on the counter, scrolling through family memories. One image made him stop: a photo of Donna in the early '80s, holding balloons in a space she lovingly called 'Grandma's Attic.'
He stared at it and thought, "This is exactly how I want to remember my mom.'
"For me, it just embodied her spirit, her beauty, her attitude toward life — and it was such a freeing moment in time, such a stark contrast to the present day, where she was limited by so much," he tells PEOPLE. "I took a picture of the digital frame and photo with my cell phone, and I thought of it and looked at it often in the years that followed."
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Jesse Robertson The photo of Donna Robertson
The photo of Donna Robertson
After Donna died, Jesse focused on helping his dad navigate the next chapter of life. But one thing remained on his mind: getting a framed version of that photo — a memory both he and his father deeply cherished.
His first attempt, printing the image at home on a laser printer using photo paper, didn't produce the quality he hoped for. So, the day before his return flight, Jesse set out with the image, saved from the digital frame, in a manila folder. He first tried FedEx Office — only to find that the location no longer had photo-quality printing machines.
Then came CVS. Same issue.
"I tried UPS, but they too didn't have the machines," he says. "I sat in my car in the parking lot, feeling the pressure mount to get back to my house to help my dad and sister with so many things still needing to be done. At the same time, I felt the frustration and sadness begin to rise, that what I thought would be simple — and what I had always wanted to take home with me from that experience, so I could walk in my house, put it up, and have this memory of her always visible — might not happen."
He called a few more places. No luck. At Staples, they tried to help — but again, the quality wasn't there.
Disappointed, he sat in the parking lot, desperately trying to figure out what to do, scrolling through Google searches, when he came across Mike's Camera in Menlo Park, Calif., which turned out to be just a mile from where he was sitting. He called, expecting another dead end. But the man on the other end of the phone said simply, 'Yeah, we can do that.'
Jesse Robertson Jesse Robertson with his late-mom Donna
Jesse Robertson with his late-mom Donna
Although he was hopeful, he also had doubts. Regardless, he drove to the store. Just three steps in, a man named Christian greeted him and asked how he could help. Jesse explained he'd just called and shared what he was hoping to do. He recalls how the worker made it sound so easy. All Jesse had to do was consider the pricing options, choose the quality and finish — and it would be done.
But Christian came back with tough news: they were backed up, and the earliest the photo could be ready was in three days.
"My heart sank," Jesse says. "I worked on keeping myself together and told him I was leaving on a plane in the morning, so that wasn't going to be an option. But by then it was too late for me. I turned my back to the other customers and pretended to look at camera bags in the corner of the store as the tears started to flood uncontrollably down my face. There was nothing I could do. I had maneuvered around a display stand so he couldn't see me, but then I heard him call my name."
"I came out to just grab my photo and leave as soon as I could. He and I met in the middle of the floor just on the other side of the counter, and he looked at me and stopped in his tracks," he adds. "I still remember the look on his face — it just seemed like he cared so much, and I hadn't even said a word yet."
Christian asked what was wrong. Jesse told him the story as best he could, through tears.
"As I kept talking, I could see his eyes welling with tears too," Jesse continues. "He said, 'Man, I wish I was able to give you a hug,' and I remember saying, 'I'll take one.' He gave me a hug, told me to hold on, and walked back to the printers."
From there, the team dropped everything they were doing to help print Jesse's picture. Along with his copy, they also printed out two more: one Jesse gave to his sister, and the other to his dad.
"What was supposed to take three days became 30 minutes," Jesse says. "I was able to frame it right there on his counter. And when I came home the following morning, I set that frame in my living room, where I see it every day — and think of her."
Jesse Robertson Jesse Robertson with his late-mom Donna
Jesse Robertson with his late-mom Donna
In awe of the moment, Jesse later took to TikTok to share what had happened.
He hoped his video would remind people of the kindness and humanity that is still out there. That was his only intention. He never expected so many people to see the video, but it quickly went viral, amassing more than 80,000 views.
"I think it's the same thing that resonated with me and the same thing that we all feel we don't see or hear about enough in this world: compassion," he says. "I think that people know that there is no expectation that Mike's Camera (or any other business) would halt what they're doing to help one person."
"I believe we all want to live in a world where that is true, and while so much can cause us to lose sight of that, even one small instance — one interaction between two perfect strangers where that kindness is shown — represents the fact that it's still out there," he adds. "I know that personally, I want to hold on to that notion, and I believe others do as well."
Since the interaction, Jesse says he's connected with the workers at Mike's Camera over Instagram and TikTok and looks forward to stopping in again the next time he visits his family.
"I think she would have laughed and probably shaken her head at just another wild thing her son had done," Jesse adds, reflecting on what his mom might have thought of the situation. "She would have been proud that she raised a boy into a man who wasn't afraid to be vulnerable. But what she would have loved the most is the kindness people shared — she was such a good person, so full of life and love for her family and friends."
"It would have meant so much to her to know that there are so many wonderful people in the world," he adds.
Read the original article on People
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