6-year-old was upset over losing her tooth on plane—until captain's 'Tooth Fairy' response surprised the parents
Most children take their job of holding on to their broken tooth for the tooth fairy very seriously. It's a part of their dream and imagination, something that teaches them to hope and be responsible. When 6-year-old Lena's tooth fell out on a flight from New York to South Carolina, she was worried sick, ABC News revealed. She was undoubtedly disheartened and the exhausted parents were racking their brains on how to ease the situation. A United Airlines captain, Josh Duchow, came to their rescue with an adorable reaction. Lena recalled being woken up after landing by her mom, Lauren Larmon, when she realized her tooth was missing.
She quickly informed her mother, but it was too late. The family had gotten off the last flight at 2 am. They were exhausted and being the last flight, everything was ready to shut down. Lena realized much later, while they were at the airport and there was no guessing where, out of the many miles, she might have lost her tooth. The 6-year-old got emotional and disheartened. "I was like, 'We're never gonna find my tooth again!'" she recalled. The parents tried to get back to the plane to find it, but in vain. Usually, Lena has her baby tooth under the pillow without fail, so the tooth fairy can grab it. Unfortunately, this time she had nothing on her.
When the captain arrived and heard of the upsetting dilemma, he offered to pitch in creatively. He decided to write the tooth fairy a letter in hopes that she would be considerate about not receiving Lena's tooth. The mom shared a glimpse of the exchange on Facebook. At the airport, Duchow bent down to meet the eyes of the 6-year-old and penned the note. It read, "Dear Tooth Fairy, Lena had a tooth fall out on her flight to Greenville. Please take this note in place of her tooth." The girl, who was very concerned about the tooth fairy being upset, was relieved to find some comfort. To her surprise, the tooth fairy was okay with the reason and wrote back to her.
"She said, 'Lena, it is okay that you lost your tooth on the airplane. I will get it. Keep brushing," Lena recounted. She is delighted and grateful to the kind captain who took the time to offer a solution. "Thank you to Captain Josh for stepping in and helping me. You were very nice to me,” she said. A spokesperson for the airlines noted that it was a moment of pride to witness such valuable encounters as part of the travel experience. "At United, travel isn't about just getting customers from A to B, but creating memorable experiences that make customers excited to fly with us," the statement read.
Lauren, too, thanked the airlines in her post and wrote, "In a world full of bad airline stories, @united came through. Thank you, Captain Josh! I'm sure the Tooth Fairy will accept this note in lieu of a tiny tooth." Laura Winn commented, "Love this! The world still has plenty of good in it!" Lisa Larmon added, "A tale with a happy ending!”
