With a dislocated hip, the 2-year-old lies in the shopping cart. But when her mother enters the supermarket one day, she’s weeping from joy.
Beatrice Leach is just 2 years old and has already undergone quite a bit in her short-lived life. She was born 7 weeks too early and shortly after turning just 8 months old, she is diagnosed with a neurological disorder: cerebral palsy. This disorder seriously impairs the sufferer's movement and muscle coordination.
For this reason, Beatrice's everyday life is not easy: "She can't see well, she can't crawl, and she can't speak yet," says Beatrice's mom, Melody.
It's particularly difficult for Beatrice and her mother to go shopping. She has to take the little one with her. For most kids this is a wonderful adventure, buying all kinds of fun items in the colorful store. But for Melody and Beatrice, it's nothing short of a nightmare.
"One of her hips is dislocated and so it's hard for her to sit in the shopping cart seat," explains Melody further. "She is already too big for her stroller, so I put her in a wheelchair when I take her to the store. I take a shopping basket one hand while pushing her with the other hand."
"She often has cramps at the store. That happens pretty often when she has to do something strenuous, like sitting upright in a wheelchair." The last time Beatrice and her mom went shopping, mom Melody had to load some beverage crates into at shopping cart and lay Beatrice in between. That was the only way to keep the girl safe and keep her from falling over in the wagon. Melody stored the groceries in the bottom shelf, hanging on the underside of the shopping cart.
Sometimes it's simply not possible for Melody to take her daughter shopping with her, which complicating the situation further: the young family has to hire a nurse to take care of Melody so that the others can, at least, have some time to take care of other everyday matters. This unfortunately often makes shopping twice as expensive.
Then Melody is approached one day by the manager of the supermarket in which they are shopping, a man named Mike Myers. He inquires about the nature of Beatrice's disorder, seeing how hard it is for her mother to shop at the supermarket.
"I have personal experience with one of my friends, whose brother also suffers from cerebral palsy," explains Mike Myers when he sees Beatrice.
Myers believes that anyone, regardless of whether they have a disability, should be able to shop at his store. And that no customer should be stressed while shopping, like Melody and her daughter Beatrice. So he sends some emails to his superior and "gossips" with some colleagues about the matter.
One day, when Melody returns to shop again, she's greeted with a big surprise: a very special shopping cart designed with extra space for children with disabilities. The cart is decorated with ribbons and a sign which reads: "Beatrice's Cart." Her own shopping cart, a true "Princess's carriage."
"Why do they care about us? We are just one family with just one kid," asks Melody, completely touched by the wonderful gesture which has made her day so much easier and spared her bank account so much. For the supermarket and its manager Mike, that is nothing other than self-evident.
If you'd like to see the video of this wonderful story, then click here:
A wonderful gesture that really goes to show that the customer is really king at this store and that this little girl is a true princess. If you were also touched by this unbelievable gesture then SHARE it with everyone that you know. For this story illustrates clearly: there are still people who genuinely care.
