When Hollie Bellew-Shaw shared a picture of her daughter sprawled out on the floor of Passmore Elementary School in Alvin, Texas, she had no idea it would quickly go viral and gain national attention.
The photo, which shows Hollie’s daughter, Kenlee, curled up into the fetal position on the floor of her school’s cafeteria, has been making waves on social media after mom posted it for the eye-opening message that it portrays.
At first glance, it looked like Kenlee, who was wrapped up inside a comfy blanket, was just taking a nap on the floor. But, it turns out that the girl, who has autism, was actually just fed up and having a really bad day at school. So she found a quiet place to take a break and plopped right down!
That’s when someone else stepped in to make sure that Kenlee, or “The Hippy” as Hollie likes to call her, was doing okay.
After the school’s custodian, Ms. Esther, noticed that the fourth-grader was having a rough time, she took immediate action and curled up on the floor right next to her. It didn’t matter that the floor was hard and uncomfortable, or that everyone was staring at them.
The only thing that mattered was making sure that Kenlee felt safe. Mom posted the photo on her facebook with the following caption:
“Our school custodian is literally the best, sweetest individual in the world. The Hippy wanted no part of being in the cafeteria this morning with all the noise so she laid down w/her blanket on the stage. When Ms Esther saw her she came and laid next to her and patted her back.”
Ms. Esther is truly an angel for taking action in the sweetest, most caring way possible!
Mom went on to say,
“All schools should be so lucky to have their own Angel on campus. Feel free to share so she can get all the appreciation & thanks she totally deserves.”
Alvin Independent School District loved the photo so much, they shared the image on their own Facebook page with this cheeky, but totally relevant, comment:
“Sometimes you just need to take a break!”
The school district also shared that Kenlee and Ms. Esther were no strangers to each other before that day. The young girl absolutely adores the school custodian!
Mom Hollie concurred, and said that Ms. Esther has always been kind and friendly to Kenlee.
“She always greets my daughter with kind words and a hug which is so special to her.”
The school district also added:
“This goes to show you that a kind word, a hug and a little compassion are all it takes to make a huge difference in a child’s life.”
Both posts have gone on to receive hundreds of shares and comments from parents on Facebook. One of them wrote:
“I heard about this… everyone needs an angel like Ms. Esther!”
Another mom commented:
“This warms my heart! I hope Ms. Esther realizes how much her actions mean to that little girl. She will always remember her kindness and understanding. Bless you Ms. Esther for taking the time to show compassion.”
Autism Speaks, a national organization that is dedicated to the research and treatment of austism, got wind of this heartwarming story and commented:
“Such a sweet moment to kick off the week.”
The post has now been shared thousands of times and has garnered national attention.
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