There are few things that upset me as much as prejudices that pollute our society – and this especially applies when it comes to judginh people with special needs. This is made significantly worse when children come into question – children, for instance, with Downs syndrome. In my world, it is completely incomprehensible that an adult would dare taunt or speak ill about such a child.
That’s what makes the following story so important. I hope it spreads further in order to raise much needed awareness on this issue.
But it also reminds us of another important fact: that there are people out there who actually dare to stand up and speak up for the most vulnerable among us.
It all begins with 5-year-old Milo, who has Downs syndrome, who, along with his family, visited a restaurant they regularly visited in Houston, Texas.
They had just sat down to eat when their dining experience took an unexpectedly unpleasant turn, according to the Daily Mail.
But then a waiter stepped in, and revealed what true courage and empathy is.
In the booth next to theirs sat another family. But they promptly got up and changed tables when Milo and his family sat next to them.
But moments later, waiter Michael Garcia overheard their shocking complaint: they’d gotten annoyed with Milo. Apparently, he was too noisy and was making strange noises.
“Special needs children need to be special somewhere else,” the man at the table declared loudly, right in front of his own children.
But when Michael heard this, he simply couldn’t stay quiet. To ask to be moved to another table is one thing, but he couldn’t tolerate the man expressing himself like that about Milo.
Despite risking his job, he refused to serve the man – the man threatened to leave, at which point Michael invited him to do just that.
“I was really impressed that Michael would stand up for Milo,’ said Castillo. ‘He really doesn’t know us … he stood up for Milo just because it was the right thing to do,” Milo’s mother Kim said.
Here’s what the everyday hero looks like:
Many thanks for your gesture, Michael. We need more people like you in this world!
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