A grateful mother is lauding the KFC employee who saved the day when her daughter, who has autism and is non-verbal, had a meltdown in a furniture store.
Lauren Clarke was shopping at Old Trafford in Greater Manchester, England, when her 6-year-old daughter, Madison, grew distressed.
Clarke said in a now-private social media post, which she shared with The Epoch Times via email, that Madison is “extremely sensory.”
“[She] started to lick objects around her. She is non-verbal and only understands certain words,” Clarke said.
Clarke had the idea to take her daughter across the street to KFC for chicken, to distract her while her mom and grandmother continued shopping.
Yet upon reaching the eatery, Clarke realized it was only open for drive-thru orders due to maintenance work.
Clarke called the eatery to share more about Madison and how hard it is for the little girl to cope after her routine is somehow affected.
“Anyone who has a child with special needs knows how challenging it can be to completely change a child’s routine,” she said.
Upon hearing Madison’s distress in the background, KFC workers told Clarke she could walk to the drive-thru window with her daughter, where a friendly, calm employee named Emma smiled and chatted to Madison.
However, when Clarke came to pay for her food order, disaster struck again: she didn’t have her bank card.
“Emma immediately said, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll get it for you!'” Clarke wrote. “What an absolute act of kindness and a credit to have as an employee.”
The young mom said Emma’s kind gesture saved the day.
Clarke hopes that her message of gratitude reaches the kind fast-food employee, known by her first name only. Thousands of social media users agree that Emma deserves recognition; Clarke’s post has amassed thousands of likes and shares to date.
One person commented, “What an amazing thing to do. I support a person with autism and expectations are a massive thing. This could have gone very wrong.”
“There are still some very wonderful people out there,” wrote another, adding, “Hope KFC acknowledge the kindness and understanding this lady showed.”
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