An Invisible Thread

An Invisible Thread will help you feel more motivated to be kind to others by sharing the heartwarming story of the incredible friendship between a boy afflicted with poverty and a successful businesswoman.

Maurice had tragically only known extreme poverty and had his life threatened at a young age. He didn’t see his father much because of his gang affiliation, so Maurice and his mother had to scavenge for food in trash cans. He and his siblings moved from apartment to apartment while their mother scraped together as much money as she could selling cocaine.

His mother had a drug addiction and would get high late into the night, leaving her three kids to fend for themselves on the streets. One time, Maurice watched as his mother stab his father multiple times in a fit of rage. Needless to say, he lived a very violent and unstable childhood.

Schroff, on the other hand, had not had quite as tough of a past. But her own obstacles taught her the importance of a lucky break. As an alcoholic, her father had violent outbursts often. Her mother mostly ignored the problem, and he directed most of his outbursts toward his two terrified kids.

She didn’t do well in school so set out to be a flight stewardess. She was devastated when she failed the exams needed to be a stewardess, but managed to get a job as a receptionist for Icelandic Airlines.

From there, she made the best of her situation and eventually was able to make contacts with a travel magazine that hired her. Through this picky break, she got the experience needed to achieve her dream job at USA Today, where she eventually became an advertising executive.

After their first meeting, Maurice naturally thought that lunch was all he would get. But Laura couldn’t get him out of her mind and found him again. She wanted to learn his story and help him in any way she could. After this, they met once a week for lunch and established trust. Eventually, she invited him to her home for a meal, and then to baseball games. Laura sent Maurice with a permission slip for his mother to sign allowing her to take him to the game. But when he didn’t arrive, she went to his home and saw the horrible living conditions. His mother was intoxicated, but his grandmother signed the slip, and off they went. For her safety, Maurice made her promise to never come back to his apartment. Laura soon realized that Maurice often went hungry in the days between their meetings. She offered to leave lunch for him to pick up from her doorman. He only had one…