For those living with cerebral palsy, everything from brushing their teeth to writing a note to even tying their shoes can be an impossible struggle. Lee Bondurant, who lives with the congenital disorder, and his mother, Linda, are keenly aware of these difficulties.
The two were recently celebrating Lee's birthday with dinner in Raleigh, North Carolina, when Lee began struggling to eat his food. This wasn't entirely out of the ordinary. That was when someone walked up to where they were sitting and did something that stunned everyone at the table...
Living with a disability can make even the most ordinary tasks incredibly difficult. This was something that 51-year-old Lee Bondurant knew all too well. Having lived with the disease his entire life, he came to accept this unfortunate fact.
Even though he chose to not let his congenital disorder define him, Lee was aware that it played a major role in his life, including at his grocery store job at Krogers. Still, he had his good days and his bad days, and he knew better than to let it get him down.
When he recently chose to spend his birthday with his mother, Linda, at the 42nd St. Oyster Bar in his hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina, he began having one of his bad days. What he couldn't have predicted was what would happen next...
Since the disorder caused sufferers' hands to shake, even simply getting food into their mouths could become a difficult task. However, Lee wasn't ready to let that take him down - not even when he wanted to go skydiving!
Unfortunately, Lee's birthday dinner soon transformed into a more complicated task. And even though his mother was there to help, she wasn't having the easiest time doing so while also trying to eat her own meal.
That's when their waiter, a college student nicknamed "Five," noticed the scene beginning to unfold at Lee's table. His reaction to it was something no one in the restaurant could have predicted...
"He casually came over and asked Lee if he had ever had oysters... Lee told him he had not," Linda recalled. "So, [Five] asked [if he] could he serve him his first. It was smooth not to embarrass Lee. Just offering [to] share in the experience."
Linda was simply taken aback by Five's abundant generosity. "For a total stranger to come up really touches a mother's heart, especially when your child [has] special needs," she explained.
Like it was nothing, the busy waiter had stopped what he was doing, grabbed a spoon, and began to help feed Lee the meal he'd been so excited to enjoy all day. It was far from any server's job description, and Lee's mother was simply stunned.
Five's act of kindness certainly wasn't lost on Lee either. He was well aware that most people would've rather moved on instead of helping him out. Clearly, there was something special about this waiter...
Best of all, Five handled it in a way that didn't humiliate or embarrass Lee! It was the waiter's overall sense of professionalism that most impressed the birthday boy and his mother during their big celebration.
Lee was accustomed to doing things for himself, and he would normally turn down this kind of assistance. Still, Five's genuine generosity was difficult to ignore. So, how did others react when they heard about this story?
When they returned home, Linda shared the image of her son and the waiter on her Facebook page. It wasn't long before people began expressing their respect for what Five had done. Even the local news media became interested!
Lee was sure to let everyone know how thankful he was for Five's actions. "That was the ultimate kindness he showed me," he told reporters. "I really appreciate what he did, an act of kindness."
Five wasn't at work when reporters arrived to the 42nd St. Oyster Bar, but his boss made it a point to mention that he was proud of his actions. "We're fortunate to have somebody like him working for us," manager Ryan Tyson said.
When Five, who doesn't have a social media profile, eventually learned that his photo with Lee was going viral, he couldn't believe the outpouring of support. People from all around the world were even writing him letters!
Some of those people have actually offered to help Five in ways he never could've anticipated. Of course, being a modest man, he was quick to decline. "I'm going into the gas station and somebody wants to buy me gas, I'm like 'no!'" he laughed.
Still, Five remained incredibly humble about what he did for Lee that day. "Seafood is best eaten hot, so I didn't want her food to get cold. I didn't want his food to get cold," he said, while downplaying his act of compassion. "I just wanted to help a fellow man out."
Since that birthday dinner, Lee has returned to the 42nd St. Oyster Bar quite a few times to visit his new friend. Every time they saw each other, Lee had an opportunity to let his favorite waiter know just how much he meant to him.
While Five didn't necessarily anticipate making a lifelong friend when he offered to help Lee eat that night, he seemed to have done just that. It just goes to show how a little kindness can really change someone's life in more ways than one!
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