A proud and overwhelmed mother finally had her prayers answered Friday when she was able to reunite with homeless Manchester bombing hero Chris Parker face-to-face in an emotional meeting.
READ: ‘So Proud’: Mom of Manchester Hero Had No Idea He Was Homeless, Pleads With Him to Reach Out
Jessica Parker had no idea her son was homeless until last week, when she spotted his face plastered across social media and television for his heroic life saving efforts associated during the Manchester attack, an incident that left 22 people dead and over 50 individuals with serious injuries, Faithwire previously reported.
Parker and Stephen Jones are both homeless men who were panhandling in the Manchester Arena when a suicide bomber hit, causing mass hysteria and people to flee away from the scene.
Chris Parker and Stephen Jones Went to Manchester Arena as Homeless Men. They Left as Heroes. https://t.co/LRmS93AYvB #Love and #Respect
— Kelly Lott (@KellyLott2) May 25, 2017
Both men ran from the foyer and in to the arena to help.
Parker immediately wrapped a bloody child’s body in t-shirts and then placed a dying 60-year-old woman in his arms to provide her comfort during her last moments alive so she didn’t have to be alone.
Both men’s stories went viral and captured hearts around the world. A GoFundMe page was started in response to Parker’s noble efforts and a similar page was set-up for Jones.
The original goal set for Parker’s page was £50,000 and at this time £51,000 has been raised.
Jessica Parker took a shot in the dark and wrote a plea on the crowdfunding page hours after it was created:
“Hi this is my son and I am desperate to get in touch with him, we have been estranged for a very long time and I had no idea he was homeless. I am very proud of him and I think he might need me right now xx”
Norfolk mum’s plea to reunite with homeless Manchester terror hero son #Manchester https://t.co/hssA3q1tq9
— Eastern Daily Press (@EDP24) May 23, 2017
Proud to call him my son, I just need to speak to him xx https://t.co/ghG2FQvBtg
— jessica parker (@jessica2411) May 23, 2017
Jessica and Chris met twice over the weekend before she went back to her hometown of Norfolk. Jessica told Manchester Evening News, “We were having a chat and he got quite emotional.”
“I said ‘Do you want me to come up?’ and he said ‘Yes, I do. I need you mum.’” She added, “He’s completely overwhelmed by it all. He never envisaged that sort of money, ever. It was hard to put into words how it was. He just gave me the biggest hug and said ‘I’m glad you’re here mum.’ I said ‘I wanted to come up and see you and make sure you are all right.’”
“He needed to talk it through, to tell me how he felt. He got very emotional when he was talking.”
During the visit, the pair walked around the city after they met for the first time in five years in the hotel.
“We went down to St Ann’s Square – it’s a beautiful place at the moment. He said ‘I come here every morning and evening, mum.’”
Jessica says she will meet with Chris again in the near future.
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(H/T: Manchester Evening News)
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