PLANT CITY, Fla. — If it’s a weekday afternoon, you’ll most likely find 5-year-old Brantley Kimbel looking out of his bedroom window, eagerly awaiting UPS delivery driver Michelle Dearhart.
“Every time he’d see her, it didn’t matter where I was, he’d see her truck come by, and he’d just scream, ‘Shell is here,’” said mother, Leslie Kimbel
Over the past few years, Brantley Kimbel has been confined to the house due to health concerns, undergoing several neurology exams.
“They had to hook things up to his head, and he just had cords everywhere, so it was really frightening,” said Kimbel.
Dearhart's deliveries became a huge part of Brantley Kimbel’s life.
“Not seeing his grandparents, not seeing his cousins, so Michelle was his best friend at that point. It was just a face that he loved,” said Leslie Kimbel.
“It would just become every day I’d get him candy,” said Dearhart. “It made my day, just delivering and stopping here every day. He is the coolest kid I ever met.”
Brantley Kimbel even surprised Dearhart on her birthday.
“He answered the door with a bouquet of flowers and a bag of Godiva chocolate,” said Dearhart.
So now it’s Brantley Kimbel's birthday, and it’s Dearhart’s turn to deliver a surprise.
“Oh, my heart was beating out of my chest. I was nervous all morning,” said Dearhart, who arrived in an extraordinary truck with flames down the side.
Brantley Kimbel ran out of the house and jumped into her arms.
Then it was time to hand out presents, including a UPS cape for this 5-year-old superhero.
However, the best gift of all is that Brantley Kimbel has finally received a clean bill of health. There’s no one he’d rather celebrate with than his best friend.
“I’m just so happy I got to do this. This is a birthday he’s never going to forget,” said Dearhart.
Robert Boyd first reported this story at WFTS in Tampa Bay, Florida.
