SakshiWhat did Mother say?
Shantrell Brown mother of LeShay reminisced “the helicopter had open doors, so I looked out and you could just see all the water over everything, and it was just too much for me, so she [LeShay] was comforting me.” The girl was not frightened at all.
Always Special
Shantrell spoke about her daughter bravery in an interview. She said, “I’d already known she was special from that day. But when I heard him say that on the show, he was saying she was his hero after everything he’d done. Until he said that about LeShay and her smile and hug, I never knew that could mean so much to a person.”
A Wish Come True
No doubt, that moment was one of the happiest moment of Maroney’s life. He said that he “dreamt of this day for a long time.” “finding you guys, and knowing you’re okay, has been a weight off my back,” he continued. Along with meeting the girl he also wanted to make sure if the family is doing fine.
A Dream Fulfilled
Maroney always wanted to gift LeShay and her family for changing his life completely. On his behalf, the show producer offered the family with a car and a cheque worth $10,000. However, the girl said no to it as she believed that Maroney deserved a gift more than her. Their beautiful story did not end with the end of the episode. The duo continued seeing each other as Maroney would visit Brown regularly with his two sons. Maroney said in an interview, “we’ve already been texting, checking in on each other, and talking quite a bit.”
Spending The Money?
Eventually, Shantrell said no to the car offer but took money to fulfill the demand of her little girl. LeShay always wanted an iPhone and her mother was going to use the money for that. Whereas Maroney used the money to pay off his debts. But before that, he bought the girl a chocolate milkshake.
A Friendship Begins
This was a unique friendship. Meeting as strangers in distress nobody had an idea that the two would build the bond so easily. Maroney taught swimming to LeShay. The two began to share their secrets with each other. Maroney had another achievement when he was awarded honorary citizenship from Waveland Mayor Mike Smith.