Our faith in humanity restored – Mum BLOWN AWAY by collaborative effort of users to search for her son’s favourite snack
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Despite the internet teeming with millions of ‘trolls’ (for members who weren’t aware, a ‘troll’ in internet parlance is basically someone who deliberately antagonises others to elicit an emotional reaction), harsh critics, and even cyber criminals, it’s relieving to know that there are still a bunch of good-natured folks that go out of their way to show a complete stranger some kindness.
One fortunate mum experienced just that after she reached out to a Facebook group in a desperate attempt to locate her autistic son's favourite rice cakes – and it turned into an unexpected nationwide response.
Clare Ghossain Katrib was panic-stricken after realising that 25 Aldi stores located in her area had run out of the one item her little one loved eating – their yoghurt flavoured rice cakes.
She shared that her seven-year-old son, Nickolas, has non-verbal autism and that he has been giving food therapy a shot lately. They eventually discovered his utmost love for the Aldi brand biscuits.
Image Credit: Facebook
Out of desperation, Clare decided to consult the members of ‘Aldi Mums' to see if anyone had spotted the product in a store near them.
"I had basically been pulling my hair out as I only had one packet left and he was going back to school in a couple of days' time," she wrote. "I was like, 'What am I going to put in his lunch box because he won't eat anything else?"
When Clare contacted the Aldi manager at her local store, they told her that there was no estimated time of delivery available for when the rice cakes would be restocked– it could take weeks or even months for the product to pop back up on the supermarket’s shelves.
"I thought I'd just put it out there, put my postcode, and see because I was more than happy to go and drive around my area to find them," The mum added.
Her cry for help was certainly received… Only not in the way she was expecting.
"Within about an hour my inbox was full of DMs (direct messages) and people were commenting under it too. It started in Melbourne, then it hit Queensland, and by the time I was going to sleep Perth had seen the message – it just hit everywhere," she explained.
“People were grabbing them and sending me messages saying ‘I've got five packets’, ‘I've got two packets.’”
While Clare was naturally ready to compensate these strangers back for their help, several insisted that she didn't have to pay them back for the expense.
Little Nickolas sitting next to boxes of his favourite snack. Image Credit: Clare Ghossain Katrib (Facebook)
"A lot of people were refusing to take payment from me as a gesture," she reveals. "I was blown away because I was saying 'No, no, I'm happy to pay for these items – I really just wanted the help to locate them’ but it was their way of paying it forward."
Clare said that many of the parents spoke of how glad they were to lend a helping hand.
"A lot of them found comfort knowing that I also had a child that struggles – my son does go to a special needs school – but to hear it from near and far, and meet other parents also on the journey was quite special," she said.
Overall, the mum revealed that the experience overwhelmed her (in a good way) and that she couldn’t wait for an opportunity that would allow her to ‘pay it forward’ herself.
"I'm so grateful for what these people have done for me, and it's restored my faith in the fact that there are wonderful people out there.”
“Nickolas is lucky to know mummy doesn't have to hide his biscuits anymore because there are deliveries coming from all over Australia for him." she concluded.
Wasn’t that heartwarming? What are your thoughts on this story? Share them with us in the comments.
Want a similar, positive story? We’ve got another touching read for you here.
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