Doing the right thing, thank you Michael Garcia!!

Stories like this make my heart jump for joy! You may have heard the news story from earlier in the week about a  Houston and a 5 year old little boy with Down syndrome that was eating at a restaurant with his family. Another customer at the restaurant started complaining about the noises that the boy was making to a waiter named Michael Garcia, who then refused to serve the people that complained.

Garcia said “I heard the man say, ‘Special needs children need to be special somewhere else. My personal feelings took over, and I told him, ‘I’m not going to be able to serve you, Sir.’” “‘How could you say that?’” Garcia said he asked the man before he left the restaurant with his party. “‘How could you say that about a beautiful 5-year-old angel?’”

Being Joey's mom, I find it hard myself to take him to restaurants for this very reason. Although no one has ever said anything to us about Joey's noises and the way he acts, I've still seen the looks people give each other after seeing Joey and it hurts, it really hurts. The looks, the whispers, all of it. I know not all of the people do these things in mean/ negative ways, many are just curious but it still does hurt. People need to remember, words hurt, even if we don't hear people say them directly...

We rarely taking Joey out to eat unless it's to a McDonald's that has a play-land mostly due to the fact, he can't sit still long enough for us to eat an entire meal at a restaurant. We've slowly been trying to take Joey out and do new things. He gets overstimulated so easily and at times, it's too much for us to handle. But we also know that we can't keep Joey away from doing things forever.

We take one day and one step at a time and pray that Joey will overcome being overstimulated and someday enjoy sitting down for a meal at a restaurant. Stories like this give me hope that if we were ever in a similar situation, someone might stand up for Joey.

I personally want to thank and give major kudos to Michael Garcia for standing up for our beautiful children and doing the right thing!!!

Proverbs 31: 8,9 “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves…
defend the rights of the needy.”

Fox News: Houston waiter refuses to serve customer who insulted Down syndrome boy
NBC Today: Waiter hailed as hero after standing up for boy with Down syndrome
New York Times: A Child With Down Syndrome Keeps His Place at the Table
People Magazine: Waiter Michael Garcia Refuses to Serve Man Who Insulted Boy with Down Syndrome