A baby boy who was born prematurely in Port Charlotte and spent nearly a month in the neonatal intensive care unit fighting for his life, the community raised $2,000 for the child only to have a thief steal that money at the Metro Diner along US-41.
Six months later, that baby boy is thriving, and the community is bringing nothing but support.
NBC2 spoke exclusively with Andrea Burdick, the mother of that child, Thursday afternoon.
The pain in her eyes could still be seen as she remembered what the thief did over the summer. She is trying to stay strong for her job and her family.
"It's like it's stealing the moment away from us," Burdick said.
Burdick can't shake the memory of the man stealing from the Metro Diner's tip jar over the summer. The $2,000 inside was supposed to go to her to help take care of her premature baby boy.
"It's not even the fact that he stole the money, because if it was for anything else OK, but you're stealing it from a baby that's fighting for his life in the NICU," Burdick said.
The man was identified by the Charlotte County Sherriff's Office as Christopher Costie Sr. He was arrested over the summer, and Andrea is grateful for that.
"I don't understand how you didn't think that you were going to get caught like, look at media now, somebody shares something on the news, like, you're going to get caught eventually, and he did," Burdick told NBC2.
The theft didn't stop the community's desire to help out. They helped raise $14,000, so she could take her mind of the thief and focus on her child.
"It just helped me get through and not have to worry about my bills not being paid or my electricity being turned off or whatever the case may be, and it just helped tremendously with the hospital bills," she said.
Burdick's son left the NICU six months ago. Doctors say he is doing amazing and, most importantly, is healthy.
"He's been thriving, and he is just gaining weight. He's up to 15.5 pounds now. He was born at 2 pounds, 12 ounces and, I mean, he's hitting every milestone that's expected," Burdick said.
That positivity continues to fuel Burdick's desire to serve smiles, not only to this community, but also to her baby boy.