11-year-old Isabella Pieri is quite independent for her age.
Every morning she gets ready by herself, as her father's already left for work, and her mother passed away two years ago after fighting a rare disease.
Isabella's dad, Philip Pieri, tries his best to be both parents for his little girl, but there's one thing he could not master- doing her hair.
“I originally just gave her a crew cut because I didn't know how, and it was all tangled and I couldn't get it out for anything,” he told local media.
When it grew back Isabella would quickly brush it back into a ponytail and go to school.
Then, school bus driver Tracy Dean came to the rescue.
“You can’t be shy, you’ve got to talk to them. You treat them like your own kids, you know,” Tracy said.
Each morning before Isabella gets off the school bus, Tracy does her hair for her.
“Seven years ago, I found out I had breast cancer, and that’s one of the things that went though my head — who is going to take care of my little ones? Not that my husband couldn't do it, but you know, that’s what mums do. They do their kid's hair.”
It's more about hair for Isabella.
“It makes me feel like she’s a mum pretty much to me,” Isabella said. “And it makes me excited for the next day to see what she does.”
Such a small act of kindness making a massive difference. Her teachers notice that Isabella has become that bit more confident.
"I just noticed her head was a little higher that morning,” her teacher said, “and she had a little more of a step.”
As for dad Philip, he's extremely grateful for Tracey's care and attention.
“Tracy didn't have to step up, but she stepped up to help out, I was amazed.”
