Suwannee County Fire Rescue Captain Chip Leathlean was doing his usual demonstration of his department’s equipment with some trivia about what fire fighters do along with their services at a local elementary school when he noticed something.
One day at an elementary school in Florida, while almost all of the students were in awe and were busy listening to Fire Rescue Captain Chip Leathlean, there was this one little girl who was not engaging in the said activity.
Captain Chip noticed this little girl too and he soon found out that this little girl’s name was Jakhyriana Oglesby and that she was blind.
With her condition, Jakhyriana felt that she didn’t belong with the other students. All she can hear was their reaction, their comments, and their questions but she wasn’t able to make out what this was all about.
Children love knowing about firefighters, their stories, and of course their equipment.
Captain Leathlean knew that he had to do something and Jakhyriana was in for a very sweet surprise.
After Captain Leathlean was done with his demonstration, he went up to little Jakhyriana and asked her if she wanted to learn about the fire safety presentation again, but this time, it was all for her.
Immediately, little Jakhyriana smiled, she wanted to know what the fire drill safety was all about and this kind Captain was willing to go an extra mile for her.
It’s one of the sweetest acts that we have ever seen!
Later, in the school’s playground, Captain Leathlean showed little Jahkyriana a range of fire safety equipment and making her see by letting her hold and feel the items so she can visualize them.
She took her time and soon, we can see her sweet smile.
Most of the time, this little girl can’t help but feel left out especially when there’s visual demonstrations but today was different.
Today, Jahkyriana felt extra special.
She was able to feel fire extinguishers, a fire fighter’s helmet, a hose, and so much more. She was also able to learn so much from Captain Leathlean, who discussed what they were and why they were important.
Shanta Oglesby, Jakhyriana’s mom was surprised at how happy her little girl was. She told her about her special demonstration and she was so happy. Suwannee Primary School asked for Shanta’s permission so they can share these adorable photos and Jakhyriana’s mom quickly agreed!
It was a beautiful story, so it’s not surprising that this post went viral. There were so many comments about Captain Chip Leathlean. Some called him a hero, some the best example, and so much more but Caption Leathlean’s reply was simple.
“It was nothing about me,” he said. “It was all about the little girl.”
For some, it may have been a very simple gesture from this amazing captain, but for Jakhyriana and her mom, it was more than that. It was special and it was unexpected.
“Because that’s what kindness is. It’s not doing something for someone else because they can’t, but because you can.” – Andrew Iskander
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