An Adelaide mother’s emotional Facebook post about a kind-hearted supermarket worker has gone viral.
She says the worker is the first stranger who has treated her disabled daughter as a normal child, and it has restored her faith in humanity.
Five-year-old Ella Jakas is a living miracle. A stroke left her permanently brain damaged, and she also has cystic fibrosis, epilepsy and autism.
It has made regular tasks like going to the supermarket near impossible, and last Saturday at the check-out was no exception.
“It is a like a train wreck in her head,” her mother Emily said.
“It seemed everyone came at the same time and it became really busy… and she started to panic.”
Ella became aggressive, hitting her mum, crying and pulling out groceries, as other shoppers looked on.
But when 17-year-old supermarket worker Karl Vormelker told her she was beautiful, she stopped and smiled.
“He took her hand and he made an effort to go over the counter and try and calm her down,” Ms Jankas said.
“What a beautiful young man that has taken a normal stressful experience and made it comfortable.”
Karl said he didn’t realise Ella had any disability, and just treated her as a normal child.
Ella’s mum posted about the act of kindness on Facebook that night, and since then, more than 2000 people have commented on the post and almost 30,000 have liked it – including Karl.
“I got to admit, I did cry a little,” Karl said.
“I went to bed knowing that I’ve made someone’s life happy and I’ve made them smile.”
