Teriasia Dean, a retail makeup artist from Oklahoma, said she was only doing the right thing this week when she returned a Coach purse containing $800, after finding it in the parking lot of her apartment complex, media reports show.
"It wasn’t my bag. It wasn’t my stuff. That’s not my belongings; Teriasia Dean’s name was not on any of those cards," she said, according to the Oklahoma Star.
But what she didn’t tell anyone at the time was that she had been hospitalized three times this year and faced eviction if she didn’t pay $670 in rent by the end of the month, she told KFOR during an interview about her good deed.
“I’ve always been that 'never let them see you sweat' type girl,” Dean told KFOR. “I tough it out, and I make it work.”
The news station's viewers were so touched by Dean's strength and actions that they began calling in and asking how to help. One person even delivered $800 in cash for Dean, KFOR reports.
“You have people who don’t even know you who do things for you and bless you," Dean told KFOR. "I’ve always been a giver, and it’s different to receive," she said wiping away tears.
“I am forever grateful,” she said. “I am very grateful.”
Read more at the Oklahoma Star and KFOR.