Elderly Thai woman tearfully says goodbye to 27-year-old neighbor who took care of her for 10 years

July 6, 2022

An elderly woman and her 27-year-old neighbor said goodbye as he moved out after taking care of the woman for 10 years.

In a TikTok video uploaded by the man, Prasert Pumwang, he is seen carting away his personal belongings as his elderly neighbor watches from inside her home. The woman, 90-year-old Samneang, appears sorrowful as Prasert continues to move out his belongings. Prasert captioned the video, “[Stayed] in the room next to grandma for 10 years. Moved out. Grandma cried. [I feel] very sorry for grandma.”

Prasert was 17 when he first moved next door to Samneang, and the two remained neighbors for 10 years. The 27-year-old explained that the elderly woman had been living alone for 50 years following the death of her 19-year-old son, reported Khaosod. Samneang purportedly had no friends and was not in contact with any family members.

After he moved in, Samneang and Prasert grew close, helping each other with daily chores and needs. The 90-year-old would often keep Prasert’s laundry dry when it was raining and would gather his belongings when he mistakenly left them outside his home. She would also collect his mail and keep it dry in a plastic bag, hanging it on his door handle.

Prasert would keep Samneang company while taking care of her when she was feeling ill. He stated that the elderly woman was fairly independent, although she needed assistance at times when she would have difficulty breathing at night or suffered from high blood pressure. Prasert also helped Samneang with her financial needs after discovering that she was living off minimal savings and monthly compensations.

“During the time we spent together, we took care of each other all along. Some days when it was late at night, Grandma [had difficulty breathing], nasal congestion, or high blood pressure. She would knock on [my] door and I would take care of her [with the help of] the village headman,” Prasert told Khaosod.

As the two grew closer, Prasert considered Samneang as his own grandmother.

Due to undisclosed personal reasons, Prasert made the difficult decision to move away and waited two weeks before telling Samneang. When he broke the news, the elderly woman purportedly began to cry and Prasert recalled feeling helpless.

“I fell in love with grandma and saw her as one of my family members. Two weeks before moving out, I decided to tell her that I had to move to another place. Grandma was silent for a moment and then cried. I didn’t know what to do. I [felt] sorry,” Prasert was quoted as saying. “We are worried because Grandma is getting old. I would like to have someone close to her. In the past, there were people in the community to take care of her but [now they are] far from her.

Although he moved away, Prasert made a promise to Samneang that he would visit her each week with his children. After he moved out, Samneang explained that she felt a sense of loss but was relieved that he would visit often.

The TikTok video has garnered 4.1 million views and over 433,000 likes since being uploaded on June 26.

Feature image via @_kunpan

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