The kindness of strangers can mean so much to an individual, and the following story is wonderful proof of this.
Lori Burke was left overwhelmed and profoundly moved this week when a group of sales assistants at a Macy’s store in New York made an incredible gesture for her daughter.
Lori is mum to two grown-up children, a son and daughter, both of whom have an extremely rare genetic condition called Warburg Micro syndrome. As both were not expected to live past the age of two, birthdays in the Burke household are wonderful, celebrated events.
Thursday was daughter Mary-Ellen’s 29th birthday, and while Lori had placed a balloon on her wheelchair, she was not expecting the treatment the family received in the store.
As soon as a sales assistant copped sight of the balloon, she escorted Lori and her son and daughter to a makeup counter where they were treated to special birthday gifts.
As you can imagine Lori and her children were left speechless by the kindness they experienced.
“You see, whenever we are out in public, people normally don’t come towards us, they usually shy away. They usually give us a quick look, and look away. We have been shopping many, many times in Mary-Ellen’s 29 years and no one has ever approached us with such excitement and joy!” Lori told The Mighty.
She added: “Thank you to the amazing employees for making this birthday one to never forget. It was a day that Mary-Ellen was noticed for just being a birthday girl, not a girl in a wheelchair that should be avoided.”
