A heartfelt Facebook post from an Adelaide mother about a compassionate supermarket employee has gained widespread attention.
She expresses that this worker is the first person outside the family to treat her disabled daughter like any other child, which has rejuvenated her belief in humanity.
Five-year-old Ella Jakas is truly a miracle. A stroke has left her with permanent brain damage, along with cystic fibrosis, epilepsy, and autism.
As a result, everyday activities like grocery shopping have become extremely challenging, and last Saturday’s trip to the checkout was no different.
“It feels like a train wreck in her head,” her mother Emily explained.
“It seemed like everyone arrived at once, and it got really busy… she began to panic.”
Ella reacted by becoming aggressive, hitting her mother, crying, and tossing groceries around while onlookers watched.
However, when 17-year-old supermarket employee Karl Vormelker told her she was beautiful, she paused and smiled.
“He took her hand and made an effort to come around the counter to calm her down,” Ms. Jakas shared.
“What a wonderful young man who transformed a usually stressful situation into a pleasant one.”
Karl mentioned he was unaware of Ella’s disabilities and simply engaged with her as he would with any child.
That evening, Ella’s mother shared this act of kindness on Facebook. Since then, the post has received over 2000 comments and nearly 30,000 likes, including from Karl himself.
“I have to admit, I shed a few tears,” Karl shared.
“Going to bed knowing I’ve brought happiness to someone’s life and made them smile really meant a lot to me.”
