For parents of young kids, running errands tends to be an overwhelming task on the best days. But if your child has special needs, it can be even more of a hassle. The world isn’t always accommodating to special needs, leaving parents to improvise as best as they can.
When a grocery store got wind of one parent – and loyal customer’s – struggle to bring her daughter along on grocery runs, they decided to make their store more accessible.
Melody’s sweet toddler accompanied her mom on a lot of errands, but there was one problem.
Melody’s daughter, Beatrice, has cerebral palsy. Since most moms need to take their kids, especially the really young ones, on all their errands, this presented a particular challenge for the family.
Beatrice’s condition meant that fitting her into the child section of a shopping cart was near impossible. For a while, Melody had been managing by pushing her around the store in her stroller, but she eventually outgrew it.
Mom had been making do by bringing along her wheelchair, but that was getting cumbersome.
One of Beatrice’s hips is displaced, so she can’t sit very well on the surface of the grocery cart chair. Melody came up with this fix, but as she tells KUSA-TV, it wasn’t a long-term solution:
“She’s outgrown her stroller at this point, so I put her in her wheelchair and I take her in the store and I can grab a basket, and try to push this with one hand as I carry the basket…She’s had seizures in the store – and they happen more frequently when she’s doing something physically demanding like sitting in a wheelchair.”
One day, Melody shared with an employee how stressful the experience was becoming for her.
Each grocery trip was a challenge, and she often wouldn’t be able to stock up on too much food before she lost space to hold things in her hands. One day, she confided to Mike Myers, the assistant store manager, about the family’s struggles.
He turned out to be the right person to talk to. Mike could empathize with the difficulty, because he also knew people close to him who had cerebral palsy. He is also a fellow parent, and he knew that grocery shopping with children is always a hassle.
The employee decided to use his connections to try to find a solution to her problems.
Being the assistant store manager, Mike had a few strings he could try to pull. After talking to Melody, he decided to reach out to higher-ups in the grocery store corporation and see if they could do anything to help.
Fortunately, the executives at the store were also sympathetic to Melody and Beatrice’s plight. They decided to step in to help their loyal customer, by gifting her a specially-made shopping cart that could meet all of Beatrice’s needs.
The new shopping cart, called a “Caroline’s Cart,” was going to simplify Beatrice and Melody’s lives. Even better, it’s bedazzled.
The grocery store didn’t just give this family any old shopping cart. They gave them one fit for a princess. With her name written on it, as well as balloons and ribbons strewn over it, there’s no doubt who gets to ride in this cart.
More important than the decorations, it is a cart that is designed to accommodate children with disabilities. This cart is made with extra space and stability, and the seat is built to be more comfortable for people with low muscle tone. Now, Beatrice’s mom can grab groceries and not have to worry so much about her daughter, and Beatrice gets to have a fun time at the store like every other kid.
When Melody saw what the store did for her family, she couldn’t believe it.
Such a kind act was shocking to her, and she had a hard time expressing her appreciation while she teared up. She says:
“Why would they care? I’m just one person and we’re one family. It’s really nice.”
Watch the video below to see more about this act of kindness that changed a mom and her daughter’s life!
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
