11-year-old pharmacist gets $6,000 gift to shut down Massachusetts Walgreens

WESTON – A small group of loyal customers gathered in Weston Saturday morning to thank a pharmacist who is relocating Walgreens is closed In which position he served the community for nearly three decades.

The celebration was led by an 11-year-old boy who shocked the pharmacist by presenting the thousands of dollars he picked up as a thank-you gift.

Weston Walgreens is closed

Amid corporate cutbacks at Walgreens, the Boston Post Road location is closing permanently. So a small group came out to thank the store pharmacist.

“It's humbling. I can't believe it. It's amazing,” said veteran pharmacist Bob Hesselberg, who has worked at the store for nearly 30 years. “I don't want to retire, even though I'm 75. I don't want to retire. I'm not ready for it.”

Hesselberg goes to a store in Waltham. Leading the way was 11-year-old Arav Khanna, whose school bus dropped him off at a regular Walgreens location.

“I saw how much kindness and hard work he puts into his job,” Khanna said.

Funds raised for pharmacists

Khanna got the idea to raise money for Hesselberg as a going away gift. And the total increased rapidly. Thanks to the community, Kanna was able to present Hesselberg with a check for $6,000 on Saturday, leaving the pharmacist stunned.

During Saturday's celebration, a young girl gave a handmade card to Hesselberg, who people in the community call “Pharmacist Bob.”

“You walk in, he not only greets you by name, but he wants to know how your family is, and how was that medicine last time and how are you? And he means it,” said customer Carol Ott. .

The Weston Walgreens closed in mid-November. Hesselberg hopes some customers will follow him to Waltham, but he worries about some older residents driving that distance, especially since the chain will no longer offer home delivery.

“I'm going to miss everybody. And I'm so grateful for all of this. And thank you so much,” Hesselberg told the crowd.