When a lady visited an Apple store in Tennessee to buy a new iPad one day with her 9-year-old son who has special needs, her child suddenly took flight and hit a glass wall hard. The sudden incident caused everyone in the store to stare at the two of them.
The anxious mom felt helpless in the face of this until a kindhearted employee did something that made her feel immensely grateful.
Hangin' out with Emily & Summer
Posted by LynnMarie on Saturday, October 12, 2013
LynnMarie Rink’s son was born with Down syndrome, and he was diagnosed with autism at the age of 6. He could not talk clearly and was hardly able to learn words until he got an iPad. However, his iPad broke when he was 9 years old.
Rink, 52, knew she had to get a new one for him.
And then this happened….Nashville Folks – can you help me find this guy on FB? Or do you know any big-wigs at Apple…
Posted by LynnMarie on Friday, January 22, 2016
When both mother and son went to the Green Hills mall in Nashville to drop by the Apple store, James suddenly broke free of his mom’s grip and bolted to the door. He hit a glass wall so hard that he caused a huge “bang!”
“The sound was so horrifying and everybody turned to look. I stood there frozen and thought for sure he was going to be covered with blood,” said Rink.
“James has a high tolerance for pain and when I got to him he just poked out his lip and a few tears fell.”
Rink then sat on the floor with her son. That was when a young Apple store employee, Andrew Wall, came to offer assistance.
“Are you okay?” he asked. “What can I do for you?”
“I think it was at this point that he realized James had special needs,” Rick wrote in a Facebook post.
“Well, we actually came here today to buy an iPad which was donated to James, but if we’re going to proceed would you be willing to sell it to us and set it up … down here on the floor?” Rink recalled in a Facebook post.
Illustration – Getty Images | Kena Betancur“It was such a simple act. He just sat down and that’s all that James and I needed,” Rink said.
As it wasn’t so easy to settle down at the time of the incident, which attracted some attention, for Wall to sit down and join James and Rink on the floor meant a lot. It helped her calm down considerably.
“There are no words to accurately describe how grateful I am that he took the time to ‘meet us right where we were,’” she wrote.
“He didn’t have to sit down on the floor with us. He could have easily waited for us to stand. Could have easily waited for us to come back another day. But he hung out with us in the midst of our pain.”
The employee even shared a “fist bump” with James.
“Nobody gets how powerful this moment was,” Rink said.
Well Fist day of 3rd gr. No cute photo in front of classroom in my world. Love him bunches! #acceptanceisadailything
Posted by LynnMarie on Wednesday, August 5, 2015
Rink later connected with the employee via Facebook, and Wall told her the story she shared about her Apple store experience with him had made his day.
“I want to say thank you so much for those kind words!” Rink shared on Facebook. “I began working at Apple in hopes of having fulfilling moments like this. Post Apple my hopes are to work within the realm of youth counseling. Thanks again for making my day!”
So I lost my phone earbuds on my last trip… Went to buy some new ones and look who I ran into! Only the best Apple store…
Posted by LynnMarie on Tuesday, April 26, 2016
Rink later told TODAY that Wall’s response isn’t what she had expected.
“To be honest, [Wall’s] response isn’t the norm when I bring James out in public,” Rink said. “Most people are uncomfortable. It’s frustrating, but I get it.”
“Helping others isn’t always about the grand gestures,” Rink said. “Sometimes, it’s just about doing what needs to be done … It’s the little stuff that makes all the difference.”
Now that was some top-class customer service!
