Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

TikToker Posts Emotional Plea After Dead Mother's Final Gift To Her Is Cancelled—And The Internet Delivered

TikToker Posts Emotional Plea After Dead Mother's Final Gift To Her Is Cancelled—And The Internet Delivered
@gardenoferin/TikTok

TikToker @gardenoferin posted a heartbreaking video begging people to help her replace an L.L. Bean tote bag her late mother tried to order for her before her death.

Grief can make even small gestures deeply impactful, as a woman recently found out after posting a video to TikTok after her mother's recent death.

Erin Barbee, who goes by @gardenoferin on TikTok, had wanted a wildly popular "Boat and Tote" bag from L.L. Bean for her birthday this year. Her mother obliged and put in the order, along with custom embroidery.


However, as the bag is so popular, it is backlogged in production and the birthday gift became more and more belated. After multiple delays, L.L. Bean cancelled the order. This would have been merely an inconvenience—except that Barbee's mother died while waiting for the bag.

Barbee initially brushed off the cancellation because, well, it's a tote bag and she can probably just order one. However, as she was grieving the loss of her mother, it hit her that it wasn't just a popular tote bag—it was the last birthday present her mom gave her.

So, she posted a video to TikTok explaining the situation and asking if anyone had one of a similar make and model as the one that her mom had ordered, and if they would be willing to sell it to her if they weren't using it.

@gardenoferin

Grief is really weird. And really hard. But if you have an L.L.Bean boat and tote bag that you don’t use I’d love to give it new life. @llbean #llbean #llbeantote #boattote #ironicboatandtote

People flooded the comments with support and also shared their own stories of grief that can manifest in seemingly odd or arbitrary ways.

@yournjg/TikTok

@courtneywithac_/TikTok

@gingerchelle/TikTok

Many people were ready to drive to their nearest L.L. Bean to get this woman her tote bag.

@mrmm9999/TikTok

@katherine.wight/TikTok

Her plea did not go unheard. The L.L. Bean TikTok account commented on the video, as well.

@llbean/TikTok

Folks were not surprised by the brand's swift action, as L.L. Bean has long been known as a company that prioritizes customer service.

@grumpykendra/TikTok



@gardenoferin

The past few days have been overwhelming. Thank you to @llbean and everyone who made getting my mom’s last birthday gift to me possible. The encouragement and kindness from complete strangers has been so inspiring. Lastly, thank you, mom. I know you’re watching this unfold from heaven knowing you made it happen supernaturally. I miss you more than you know but I’ll look for these reminders from you every day for the rest of my life. 🩵 #llbean #boattote #llbeantote #ironicboatandtote #grief #griefjourney #missyoumom

Their gesture was appreciated by both Barbee and her audience.

@peachy_keane21/TikTok

@silverwolf_505/TikTok

@meghanfg1/TikTok

@rmh_rios/TikTok

Commenters cried when the first video went up, and were equally as emotional when the follow-up video dropped.

@wtfranay/TikTok

@nobadhabits6/TikTok

@scschulman/TikTok

In a follow-up with People, Barbee said that this was more than just a bag.

"Somebody said that the final gift that my mom got me was the bag...But the final gift was all of this encouragement from people. It's been a light during the hardest couple of weeks of my whole life."

Boat and Totes are available in many different colors, styles, and sizes, but will take a while to get to you as their production process usually isn't a quick one.

More from Trending

Savannah Guthrie
NBC News

Savannah Guthrie's Brother Leaves Fans Stunned With His Reaction To Her Fear That She Caused Their Mom's Disappearance

On the Thursday, March 26, broadcast of the Today show, Hoda Kotb interviewed host Savannah Guthrie about her 84-year-old mother, Nancy Guthrie, who disappeared from her home in Tucson, Arizona, in the early hours of February 1, 2026.

Nancy Guthrie was last seen on the night of January 31. Surveillance footage then showed a masked individual disconnecting her home security camera around 1:47 am.

Keep ReadingShow less
Men from TMZ video; Ted Cruz in airport
TMZ; MEGA/GC/Getty Images

TMZ Is Actually Being Praised After Asking People To Send Them Photos Of Lawmakers On Vacation

TMZ has for years generated controversy and attracted derision for its story gathering tactics, but it's actually earning a little bit of goodwill after asking people to submit photos of members of Congress on vacation during Easter break as the partial government shutdown reaches historic lengths.

Last week, President Donald Trump announced that he would deploy ICE agents to U.S. airports amid a partial government shutdown that has caused exceptionally long delays at TSA lines nationwide.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Charles Barkley; Donald Trump
CBS; Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Charles Barkley Sounds Off On Trump's Immigration Crackdown 'Disgrace' During March Madness Rant

Former NBA star turned sports analyst Charles Barkley condemned President Donald Trump's "disgrace" of an immigration crackdown in remarks on CBS on Sunday, lamenting the fates "amazing immigrants" who have been terrorized by the federal government.

Barkley pivoted to discussing immigration after CBS ran a feature on University of Connecticut star Alex Karaban, whose parents are immigrants from Eastern Europe.

Keep ReadingShow less
Gavin Newsom; Donald Trump
Steve Jennings/Getty Images; Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Gavin Newsom Rips Trump After Report Reveals Massive Amount Taxpayers Have Spent For Trump To Go Golfing

President Donald Trump's trips to his golf courses have cost taxpayers a fortune in his second term, prompting California Governor Gavin Newsom to criticize him for the massive tab in a post on X.

Trump’s golf outings have cost taxpayers at least $101.2 million in travel and security expenses since he returned to office. That total is about two-thirds of what his golf trips cost during his entire first term and puts him on pace to spend roughly $300 million by the end of his second term.

Keep ReadingShow less
Joe Rogan; JD Vance
The Joe Rogan Experience; Heather Diehl/Getty Images

JD Vance Weakly Claps Back After Joe Rogan Says MAGA Is Filled With A 'Bunch Of F—king Dorks'

Former actor, comedian, and Fear Factor host turned podcaster Joe Rogan has spent years profiting off the conspiracy theorists, Christian nationalists, and White supremacists that make up the MAGA movement.

But lately, Rogan has gone from enabling Republican President Donald Trump and his cronies to criticizing them.

Keep ReadingShow less