LAFAYETTE — It was a frustrating day for Michael Wright. He had gone through a flight delay leaving from Lafayette and due to time constraints, he was stuck in the busiest airport in the country.
"To make a long story short, I had a 54-hour delay," says Wright.
.... In Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, in Atlanta.
Knowing he would be "ATL bound" for hours on end, he had nothing but enough time witnessing an older woman struggling to make her destination.
"I went up to her and said, 'Let me help you,' and she said, 'No, I'm fine,'" Wright recalls. "So, I went and got a coke and sat further down and I just waited and I watched her. She didn't make it much far. I finished everything and got my stuff ready and I just walked up to her, took her satchel off and said, 'Let's go. Where are you going?'"
The woman, 65-year-old Cindy Tutko, is the mother to LSU baseball coach -- Jamie Tutko.
"My mom has a bad knee. She actually tore her ACL three years ago and never it got it replaced. He helped her get all the way to her gate, told the TSA agent that it was his mom, that she had knee issues and that she needed to get on the plane first. So they let my mom get on the plane first."
Cindy told her son of this mystery man who helped her walk from terminal C to terminal F, considering the tram system was out. Tutko then took his search to Twitter to find "Michael from Lafayette."
"I would like to think that we'd all do the same thing in that situation but it's a different world we're living in these days and so anytime something like this happens, I think it should be brought to light," says Tutko.
A way of saying thanks, Tutko was offered LSU tickets to any game. For Wright, he says it was never about the gift, it's just how he was raised.
"The people you pass... that could be your mom, your sister, your wife, your daughter."
And since then, the two gentlemen have connected. Wright hopes that when meeting Tutko at the Lousiana versus LSU match-up, his plus one -- his mother -- can meet with his now good friend, Mrs. Cindy.
"Get them down and introduce the moms, because Jamie would've done the same damn thing."
------------------------------------------------------------
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere.
To reach the newsroom or report a typo/correction, click HERE.
Sign up for newsletters emailed to your inbox. Select from these options: Breaking News, Evening News Headlines, Latest COVID-19 Headlines, Morning News Headlines, Special Offers