Savannah Phillips tried to ignore the rude man, but it was difficult. She turned her head towards the plane window and wiped her tears.
Then, she heard a familiar voice behind her. Savannah turned around and saw the person who would put the mean stranger in his place.
Weight Problem
Savannah was a hard-working mother who had always battled with her weight. She was used to being teased by strangers and having people judge her for her body.
She even started booking two airplane seats every time she traveled so no one would feel uncomfortable around her.
No Seats Available
Unfortunately, that day, there were no other seats available. The plane was at capacity, which meant that Savannah would have only one seat at her disposal.
As she walked towards the plane, she could already feel everybody's eyes on her. But, little did she know, this was only the beginning...
Uncomfortable
Savannah's seat was by the window, and there was already a man sitting in the aisle next to it.
He looked at Savannah and rolled his eyes as he stood up to let her through.
All Eyes On Her
He clearly wasn't happy that an overweight person was sitting next to him and wanted Savannah to know just how much he was bothered by her presence.
He took his phone out of his pocket and made his text as biggest as it could be, so she could see what he was typing.
"Smelly Fatty"
His message read, "Sitting next to a smelly fatty." Savannah tried to pretend she didn't see his message and turned around.
She was so hurt by the man's words. But, then, she heard a voice behind her: "I need to speak to you. NOW."
The Defender
A young gentleman named Chase Irwin tapped the man on his shoulder.
"We're switching seats NOW," Chase demanded. Shocked by his confrontation, the man agreed and switched seats. But would he stop bullying Savannah?
Thankful
Chase and Savannah struck up a conversation on the plane ride. She thanked him for defending her and switching seats with the rude man.
When she landed, she wanted to share her story on Facebook and tell the world about the kind man who helped her. But she couldn't find her defender on social media.
Sharing Her Story
So, she wrote a lengthy Facebook post and urged people to share it until Chase saw it.
"I am only sharing this story of what happened to me today in hopes that the person who stuck up for me will somehow be recognized…" she wrote.
Her Story
"We sat on the runway waiting for the OK to take off for about 10 minutes - I sat there unable to stop silently crying," Savannah continued.
"I was scrunching myself up against the wall as far as I could. The guy next to me takes out his headphones. Someone behind us says, “We are switching seats. Now.”
Going Viral
"The guy next to me said, "OK- why?" And I hear someone say (removing curse words), "You are texting about her, and I'm not putting up with that," she continued.
Savannah didn't expect to receive so many reshares, likes, and comments from people from all over the world. And it wasn't long before someone found Chase by searching for the page of the restaurant he managed.
They Found Him
Chase Irwin managed Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row bar and restaurant in Nashville.
Soon, people began leaving comments praising Chase for standing up to the bully who harassed Savannah.
Chase's Thoughts
"I was going to wait until the end of the flight to say something, but I could not have this guy sit next to her this whole flight and her thinking he's making fun of her," Chase told NewsChannel 5.
"It really gets to me deep down when I see someone crying, and when I saw her crying, it really hit me hard, and I actually got sick to my stomach."
He Wasn't Happy About It
He explained that he had been watching the rude man from the very start.
Chase noticed that the man wasn't happy about being seated next to an overweight woman, but he didn't think he would actually say or do anything about it.
He Confronted Him
The man wrote a text saying, "Hey babe, sitting next to a smelly fatty. She's overflowing over my armrest. I think I'm going to be sick!"
Chase was shocked. "I began noticing her wiping tears, and my heart sank," he told Inside Edition. In an interview with local news, Chase explained how much he disliked discrimination. When they landed, he approached the rude man and said, "I read your text, and the girl next to you crying also read your text. And you should really take into consideration other people's feelings." We hope that he learned his lesson and won't treat another human being in the same way again.