At first Rainey tried to give Tilson his ticket, but airline regulations wouldn’t allow the transfer, so Rainey decided on the next option, buying a last-minute ticket for Tilson to St. Louis so he can be with family over the holiday weekend.
Rainey told KTVI that the he spent $341 on the ticket and that the fact that Tilson was able to get home was worth more than the money.
“He walked away and came back and asked if he could hug me, and I think we both had to fight back the tears after that,” Rainey said.
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