Ashley and Jason England have an eight year old son named Riley, who is special needs. At just 18 months, Riley began having seizures which intensified over time and resulted in affecting his speech and mobility.
They were out at a restaurant having dinner when Riley became irritated because he was hungry and the Netflix app on his mothers phone was not working.
Since Riley was being loud, the customers in the restaurant kept turning around and looking in their direction. Ashley didn’t want to cause a scene in the restaurant so she decided that it would be a better idea to take Riley to the car and bring dinner home with them. However, her husband told her to wait a few more minutes. Within a few minutes, the food arrived and one of the waitresses approached the England family with tears in her eyes. She handed Ashley a note and she explained that their meal had been paid for by someone in the restaurant. When Ashley looked down at the note, she burst into tears. Written on the check was a note stating “God only gives special children to special people”.
Often times, the England family states that strangers will approach them and tell them that their son is too old to be acting up and that he should be disciplined, not knowing that Riley can’t help his outbursts. Riley has had three brain surgeries and although his seizures have since stopped, they have hindered his behavior and actions.
In response to the stranger and his kind gesture, Riley held a sign from the family that stated “Thank you for seeing the good in me and showing me love!”
His mom states that although he may not understand what this person did for him, the act shows that he is loved and that’s what makes the difference. The anonymous stranger remains unknown but the kind gesture from this individual is a moment that the England family will never forget.