Before Heather could meet Martha, she needed to come to terms with her own violent past. She returned to the home where she was attacked. "Standing here today is difficult," she says. "It makes me appreciate where I am in my life, and the gift I'm about to give to Martha. It's coming full circle for me, because I'm going to be able to help somebody."
Finally, Heather was ready to meet Martha and surprise her with a check for $2,600, which will help pay for the reconstructive surgeries she needs to rebuild her smile.
"You will never know how much this means to me," Martha says. "I'm just so blessed that you picked me and thought of me."
Heather says that completing Oprah's Pay It Forward Challenge has helped her feel whole again. "I didn't realize I had anything missing," she says. "It was through the help of strangers 13 years ago that helped me heal. To this day, I am amazed by the kindness of strangers."
Published 01/01/2006
