A heartfelt open letter from a mother thanking a "kind stranger" for entertaining her autistic three-yea-old daughter during a two-and-half-hour flight has been read more than 51,000 times - and it goes without saying that it is a beautiful and touching story.
Shanell Mouland uploaded the note to her blog Go Team Kate, in a bid to reach out and thank the mystery man for engaging little Kate in conversation and letting her call him Daddy rather than ignoring her.
Read the letter for yourself below…
She went on to write:
"You could have shifted uncomfortably in your seat. You could have ignored her. You could have given me that 'smile' that I despise because it means; 'manage your child please.'
"You did none of that.
"You engaged Kate in conversation and you asked her questions about her turtles. She could never really answer your questions but she was so enamoured by you that she keep eye contact and joint attention on the items you were asking her about. I watched and smiled. I made a few polite offers to distract her, but you would have none of it."
Not only did Mrs Mouland's letter attract thousands of hits but it also saw her reunited with the 'hero' in question.
One of Eric Kunkel's relatives forwarded him the post and he was amazed when he realised he was the one being praised.
The married businessman explained to newspapers: "I read it and then went to [the Mouland's] Facebook page and the rest is history"
It goes without saying that the Moulands and Kunkels have now become good friends.
It is difficult travelling with an autistic child - and Mrs Mouland was especially nervous flying with her little girl this time around, as her husband and their other daughter had been seated away from them in another section of the plane.
But thanks to Mr Kunkel's kindness, Kate stayed well-behaved for the duration of the flight from Philadelphia to Maine and only started getting agitated towards touch down.
At the end of her letter, Mrs Mouland reassured her daughter's new friend: "[Kate] was fine the moment we stepped off the plane. Thank you for letting us go ahead of you. She was feeling overwhelmed and escaping the plane and a big, long hug was all she needed.
"So, thank you. Thank you for not making me repeat those awful apologetic sentences that I so often say in public.
"Thank you for entertaining Kate so much that she had her most successful plane ride, yet."
Read more about Kate - and help her parents raise awareness of autism - at the blog Go Team Kate.