Having kids with special needs is tough. It’s something that mom Taylor Pomilla knows first hand. Not only is she a single parent, but her four-year-old son Andrew also has autism.
Luckily, there are good people out there who are willing to step in and help when she needs it.
It’s something the mom explained in a recent viral Facebook post which detailed what happened when an amazing police officer went way out of his way to assist her. The heartwarming story is something you just have to read for yourself.
It turns out, one of Pomilla’s biggest challenges is getting Andrew to and from school every day.
The trip involves a 45 metro ride each way. That’s a long time for Andrew to have to calmly sit in a seat, and understandably, sometimes he gets worked up.
“As long I keep him occupied with his iPad or my phone he will sit patiently in our seat. Of course I do always have fruit snacks or candy handy, in case he starts trying to get up or move. I’m all about doing anything to keep him happy and sitting,” Pomilla wrote.
All parents of kids living with autism know that not every day goes smoothly.
You can always keep your fingers crossed for a good day, but almost inevitably, sometimes you will have a bad day too. Pomilla explained that most of the time, Andrew is great, but every once and a while, he gets upset, it escalates, and he has a meltdown. It can be especially difficult if they are in public when it happens.
“Today, Andrew was persistent on wanting to get out of the seat to stand in the middle of the train while moving and running back and forth through it,” she wrote.
She did her best to calm him down, but eventually, he got out of control.
He passed the point of no return and crossed into meltdown territory.
“He started rolling on the floor, screaming, his shoe fell off and he flung it across the train, all while I’m on the floor trying to calm him down (in a dress) with all the candy I had.”
The whole time, everyone on the train was staring at them. She imagined that they thought she was a bad parent. Finally, when she couldn’t get Andrew calmed down, she was forced to get off the train early, even though they had one more stop and another connection to go still.
Fortunately, a kind police officer witnessed her struggling.
“I explained the situation to him and how this wasn’t even our stop. He asked where I was going and I told him Ballston station (a solid 30 minutes from where we were). Without hesitation he said, ‘Okay I’ll come on the train’.”
In the presence of the officer, Andrew instantly calmed down.
The officer noticed the behavior change and he offered to help by accompanying the two of them all the way to their home!
“He starts talking with Andrew and showing him all his gadgets. He then takes off his Velcro police badge from his vest and asks Andrew, ‘Can you be a police man with me and help me do police work on the train?’ Of course Andrew says yes.”
The officer went way out of his way to assist the tired and frustrated mom.
The whole time, he kept Andrew entertained and calm by teaching him how to be a policeman. He sat next to Andrew on the train, held his hand when they were walking, and even offered to take silly Instagram filter photos with him.
“This officer COMPLETELY went out of his way to help Andrew. He honestly restored my faith that there are good people still left in the world,” Pomilla wrote.
“To that officer, I truly can not say thank you enough for your immeasurable amount of kindness and for making Andrew’s day (probably his whole year).”
The officer also let Andrew keep his badge!
It always warms our hearts when we hear of stories like these. With so much hostility towards the police these days, it’s officers like this that remind us how many good people there still are out there. Pomilla later learned the man’s name is Officer D. Case. He had never met the woman and her child before, yet he treated them with so much compassion and kindness.
Thank you, Officer Case, for being such an amazing guy!
Read Taylor Pomilla’s full post about the police officer’s act of kindness below.
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https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10219319812335653
