On an airplane flight from Boston to Los Angeles last week, a thoughtful teenager helped a disabled man to communicate his needs, and even came back to talk with him and spend some time.

Fifteen-year-old Clara Daly helped 64-year-old Tim Cook — who is both deaf and blind — to communicate with crew members on the westbound Air Alaska flight. (See this remarkable teen in the video, below.) She came back for the last hour of the flight just to visit with Cook, several outlets including USA Today reported, to the delight of Cook himself and many others on the airplane.

Originally, it wasn’t a flight Clara Daly was even supposed to take.

Daly and her mother were meant to take a nonstop flight back home from Boston to Los Angeles, traveling toward their home in Calabasas, California, the U.K.’s Unilad reported. A last-minute cancellation, however, put them on an Alaska Airlines flight, which had a layover in Portland, Oregon.

And that’s how Daly came across Cook, from Oregon, a fellow passenger who was having trouble communicating — despite the many passengers and crew who were eager to assist him.

Lynette Scribner, a passenger who was on the same flight, wrote on Facebook: “I saw this gentleman, Tim, in Boston’s Logan airport with the sister he’d been visiting — it appeared he was both deaf and blind, as I observed her signing into his hand for him to feel her words.”

She added, “When he came aboard the plane, he’d been assigned the middle seat of my row. The kind gentleman who had the aisle seat graciously gave it up for him. At this point Tim was traveling alone.”

I saw this gentleman, Tim, in Boston's Logan airport with the sister he'd been visiting. It appeared he was both deaf…

Posted by Lynette Scribner on Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Scribner noted how kind the Air Alaska flight attendants were: “I watched as they didn’t flinch when he [Cook] reached out to touch their faces and arms,” she shared. “They took his hand and tried so hard to communicate with him, to no avail.”

She continued, “He had some verbal ability, but clearly could not understand them. The man who’d given up his seat did his best to assist him with things like opening coffee creamer and putting it in his coffee.”

Who do you think would win the Presidency?

By completing the poll, you agree to receive emails from LifeZette, occasional offers from our partners and that you've read and agree to our privacy policy and legal statement.

Scribner said Cook tried to stand up and “feel his way to the restroom,” and the person sitting closest to him jumped up to help him as he tried to navigate his way around.

The flight crew asked if anyone on board knew sign language — which is when Clara Daly stepped up.

Lynette’s post went onto say: “She learned ASL [American Sign Language] because she had dyslexia and it was the easiest foreign language for her to learn. For the rest of the flight she attended to Tim and made sure his needs were met. It was fascinating to watch as she signed one letter at a time into his hand,” Scribner added. “He was able to ‘read’ her signing and they carried on an animated conversation.”

“We are all starving for good news, and this was just what we needed.”

“When he asked her if she was pretty, she blushed and laughed as the seat mate, who’d learned a few signs, communicated an enthusiastic yes to Tim,” said Scribner. “I don’t know when I’ve ever seen so many people rally to take care of another human being. All of us in the immediate rows were laughing and smiling and enjoying his obvious delight in having someone to talk to. Huge kudos to the flight attendants of Alaska Airlines who went above and beyond to meet Tim’s needs.”

She emphasized, “I can’t say enough about this beautiful young woman named Clara, who didn’t think twice about helping her fellow passenger. It was a beautiful reminder, in this time of too much awfulness, that there are still good, good people who are willing to look out for each other.”

Related: Mister Rogers Was Right: Love, Kindness and Compassion Really Work

Cook, a former salesman, lives in a group care home for the deaf in Gresham, Oregon, reported Unilad. He lost his vision and hearing as an adult, according to Heather Hunter, a spokeswoman for Brookdale Senior Living, the company that runs the home where he stays.

Related: First Lady to America’s Youth: ‘You Have the Power to Be the Positive Force in People’s Lives’

Cook said he’s used to “feeling isolated.” No doubt his run-in with a remarkable teen made him feel a little less alone.

“We are all starving for good news, and this was just what we needed,” Scriber said in her now-viral post, which had been shared some 680,000 times as of midday Monday.

Deirdre Reilly is a senior editor for LifeZette. Follow her on Twitter.

(photo credit, homepage image: Lynette Scribner, Facebook)