The boys were from Burkina Faso. Hervann, age 12 had a leg amputation and Karim, age 9 had a club foot correction. Retired ORDAA F/A Margaret Strohl brought the 2 boys from CMH to ORD where they met Anne.

The boys….so adorable, polite and sweet…can’t say enough about them! The little guy, Karim,  was so sad to leave and cried most of the way. The big guy, Hervann,  was trying to be so strong but he was sad, too. He ended up getting sick. Don’t know if it was a stomach virus, nerves, ate too much or all the above.  He said he was feeling better by the time we left him so hopefully he was OK the rest of the trip.

Fortunately I had a friend of mine traveling with me. I honestly don’t know how I could have done it without her help. Not that the boys were trouble…as I said, they were so, so sweet. I was just being pulled in so many directions. Trying to get tickets/seating straight, get thru customs, help clean up Hervann and comfort Karim.

Please know, it was a very positive experience and I’m so glad I was able to help. The Paris police were very helpful and kind. They met the flight and went out of their way to help us…. But the hour in the “police station” was very crazy. It’s a tiny space and there were at least 25 people crammed in there.

I sure hope to be able to help with another escort in the not too distant future.

Thanks for all you do,

Anne Tepe,  F/A, American Airlines