WESTON – A small group of loyal customers gathered in Weston Saturday morning to thank a pharmacist who is moving Walgreens closes the location where he served the community for nearly three decades.
The celebration was led by an 11-year-old boy who shocked the pharmacist by presenting him with thousands of dollars he had raised as a thank you gift.
Weston Walgreens is closing
Amid budget cuts at Walgreens, the Boston Post Road location will close permanently. So a small group came out to thank the pharmacist in the store.
“It’s humbling. I can’t believe it. It’s amazing,” said veteran pharmacist Bob Hesselberg, who has worked at the store for almost 30 years. “I don’t want to retire even though I’m 75. I don’t want to retire. I’m not ready.”
Hesselberg moves to a store in Waltham. The broadcast was led by 11-year-old Aarav Khanna, whose school bus routinely drops him off right in front of the Walgreens location.
“I have seen the kindness and hard work he puts into his job,” Khanna said.
CBS Boston
Raised money for pharmacist
Khanna got the idea to raise money for Hesselberg as a going away gift. And the total grew quickly. Thanks to the community, Kanna Hesselberg was able to present a check for $6,000 on Saturday, leaving the pharmacist in shock.
During Saturday’s celebration, a young girl gave a handmade card to Hesselberg, who people in the community call “Pharmacist Bob.”
“You come in, he not only greets you by name, but he also wants to know how your family is doing, and how are you doing with the medications you had last time, and how are you doing? And he means it,” said customer Carol Ott.
The Weston Walgreens closes in mid-November. Hesselberg hopes some customers will follow him to Waltham, but he’s concerned about some older residents having to travel that distance, especially since the chain will no longer deliver to homes.
“I’m going to miss everyone. And I’m very grateful for this. And thank you very much,” Hesselberg told the crowd.
