Elizabeth Laird is known as the “Hug Lady” to troops heading out for duty at Fort Hood in Texas. For 12 years, the 83-year-old has been giving each soldier a hug before they leave for deployment. She also makes sure she’s there to give them a welcome home hug too. It’s estimated that over the span of 12 years she has hugged close to 500,000 troops.
However, Elizabeth hasn’t been able to give her hugs of late. She’s in hospital battling the breast cancer she’s been fighting for the past 11 years. The soldiers in the area noticed her absence and decided to return the favor, visiting her in hospital.
The troops have gone a step further and helped raise money to cover her medical expenses, raising over $80,000 to help her. Sadly, she died Christmas Eve from breast cancer.
“It would be my honor to give her a hug in her time of need,” Staff Sgt. Jarvez Wilkes told NBC. “I made it my business to get down here and show her a little love because she’s shown me plenty of love.”
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