A neighbor helped Shawda Bateman save a cherished rose bush during a storm, restoring her faith in humanity.
MIDLAND, Texas — As Monday night’s powerful storm swept through Midland, Shawda Bateman was fighting to save one of her most cherished possessions — a rose bush planted in memory of her late mother, whose ashes rest beneath it.
“We attach ourselves to certain things when somebody passes, and this rose bush still being green and alive has kind of meant something to me,” Bateman said.
The vibrant red and orange bush stood strong in her yard until strong winds, hail and debris tore it down in the middle of the night.
“It was 3:00 in the morning and I’m trying to drag this big old pot down here,” Bateman said. “It blew a cabinet. It even picked my weeds, broke the chair — did all kinds of stuff. But I’m trying to drag this pot down here and get to this one that was over there, because the importance is: this one has my mother’s ashes.”
Bateman was born with a spinal disorder and underwent an extremely rare surgery. Her spine is now made of metal, and bolts in her hips keep her upright. She also has five artificial discs. The condition has left her with limited mobility and independence.
That night, as the winds howled, she desperately knocked on neighbors’ doors — hoping for help moving the pot she physically could not carry alone.
“Two things were going through my mind,” she said. “One: save my rose bush at all costs.”
Then, in what felt like a miracle to her, a neighbor appeared.
“I just said, I just need help moving a plant,” Bateman recalled. “And as I’m walking away, he sees me struggling. He comes out and doesn’t even hesitate. I was very vulnerable — for something that I cared about, and physically, for something I can no longer do. And for a stranger to help me… that meant a lot. I didn’t even realize it until afterwards.”
NewsWest 9 attempted to speak with the kind neighbor, but he was not home. Still, for Bateman, the gesture was enough.
She said this one act of kindness — in the middle of a storm — helped restore her faith in humanity.