They\u2019re an unlikely pair: a 31-year-old Hollywood actor and his 89-year-old neighbor. But Norma Cook and Chris Salvatore are inseparable.
\nThey\u2019re an unlikely pair: a 31-year-old Hollywood actor and his 89-year-old neighbor. But Norma Cook and Chris Salvatore are inseparable.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe called me the grandson she never had,\u201d Salvatore said of Cook. And he considers her a grandmother, whom he describes as \u201cfriendly but sassy,\u201d and with a stubborn streak. But recently Cook, who has leukemia, became gravely ill, and spent two months in the hospital battling pneumonia and breathing problems.
\nKnowing her days are limited, Cook has chosen to spend what time she has left with Salvatore.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe nurses and doctors told her that it would be a miracle if she lived past the holidays, so the fact that she\u2019s still thriving is just a really great thing,\u201d Salvatore told TODAY. \u201cShe\u2019s doing great. If you could see her right now, she looks so cute on the couch with her feet propped up. She just hangs out on my couch and watches TV.\u201d<\/p>\n
For years the pair lived across the hall from each other in the same apartment complex in West Hollywood, California, but after Cook\u2019s hospital stay, doctors told her she couldn\u2019t return home to her apartment unless she had 24-hour care, which wasn\u2019t covered by her insurance. Salvatore immediately turned to the internet to help,\u00a0raising more than $50,000 for Cook through a GoFundMe page\u00a0he set up last Thanksgiving. While they tested caretakers, their\u00a0GoFundMe\u00a0savings quickly dwindled, and to cut costs, Salvatore recently invited Cook to move into his apartment.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe couldn\u2019t be happier that I asked,\u201d he said. \u201cI was over there visiting most days anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe only other option was for her to go into a facility,\u201d he continued. \u201cI just couldn\u2019t do that to someone who is like my own grandmother.\u201d
\nBoth say the arrangement is working out well, and they\u2019ve developed a routine.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe cooks for me,\u201d Cook, who is childless and doesn\u2019t have close family in California, told TODAY.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf he can\u2019t make it as an actor, he can make it as a chef,\u201d she joked.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe always watch the news,\u201d she added. \u201cWe mostly talk and drink Champagne and eat peanuts.\u201d<\/p>\n
Salvatore often posts photos and videos of him and Cook on social media with the hashtag\u00a0#myneighbornorma. After months of saying hello through their kitchen windows, he knew they would be best friends the first time they met, when he knocked on Cook\u2019s door. That was nearly five years ago.
\n\u201cShe offered me a glass of Champagne \u2014 it\u2019s her favorite drink \u2014 and we just sat down and talked,\u201d he said. \u201cWe connected right away. Back when she was a young adult, she had a lot of friends who were gay, and I\u2019m also gay, so I think it made her feel safe at home and at peace to sort of have that bond again.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also took in her cat, Hermes (named after the Greek god, not the fashion house).<\/p>\n
Cook has lived in the apartment complex for about 30 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe does not want to budge,\u201d Salvatore said. \u201cMy apartment was the only place she would have moved. She has strong opinions about where she wants to carry out the rest of her days, and she wants to stay here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Salvatore chalks up their relationship to fate.<\/p>\n
\u201cMoving her in\u2026 it feels as though it was meant to be all along,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s really fulfilling to be there for her.\u201d<\/p>\n
And Cook is grateful to have found a true friend in Salvatore: \u201cHe\u2019s a really wonderful guy,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
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