Luann Cofield was having a rough day when she decided to head over to McDonald’s and grab a burger. A lot of things had been getting on her nerves on that day, it seemed like everything was rubbing her the wrong way. Then she spotted something that maybe it 100x worse.
Not Her Day
Feeling rather antsy, she picked up her order and went on to look for a booth so that she could eat the Big Mac she got. She looked around furiously, and then her eyes landed on what looked like an empty corner booth. What happened next will shock you.
Not Her Day
Disillusionment
Born and raised in Fayetteville in Georgia, Luann was starting to get more disillusioned with the place. No matter where she looked, she could see reminders of what she considered to be the decline and decay of the city. Perhaps it was just not her day. What she had no idea was that it was going to get even worse than it already was.
Disillusionment
Her Bad Mood
She decided to stop at the local McDonalds to get lunch. Maybe her mood would improve once she increased her blood sugar. This was what she had in mind when she paid for a soda, a side of fries, and a Big Mac. In the end, what she found at the booth only incensed her some more.
Her Bad Mood
A Double Take
She took a bite of her burger and had to take a double-take. When she first saw the bench of the booth, she thought that it was occupied by rags spread out. Upon closer inspection, she saw that it was a man instead. He was all stretched out along the booth, completely still.
A Double Take
Unbelievable
In the beginning, she thought that maybe something was wrong with this man. After all, what reason did he have to lie down like that? After she heard a small snore, she just snapped. She took note of the fact that he had a McDonalds’ uniform on and only felt more outraged. To her, it was simply unacceptable that an employee was sleeping at his workplace. There was no way she was going to let this pass.
Unbelievable
Getting The Manager
Indignant, she went up to the counter and asked for the manager right away. The cashiers could see just how much she meant business based on her face alone. When their senior finally got there, she complained about the fact that someone was sleeping in one of the booths while she tried to finish her food. However, she did not get the response that she had been expecting.
Getting The Manager
Laughing It Off
She could not believe that the other staff and even the manager just brushed it off with a giggle. As you can imagine, Luann only got more outraged. It seemed like they were not taking the complaint seriously since they laughed right in her face! She decided that she would show all of them. She picked up her phone and took a photo that nearly destroyed her life.
Laughing It Off
Going Online
Without so much as a second thought, she uploaded a photo of this sleeping man in a closed Facebook group. She expressed her displeasure as people are wont to do on this social media site. She felt sure that she would get a lot of empathy for what she had to go through. Boy, she was wrong about that!
Going Online
Her Post
This was the caption she put on the photo: “Just another reason for me to leave Fayetteville. I was in the McDonald’s in the middle of town and I saw this guy sleeping in the booth.” She went on to describe how she handled the situation and the response of the staff. She never saw the response coming.
Her Post
Her Mistake
“I [went to] tell an employee that someone is asleep in their booth and her response was, ‘Oh yeah, we know, hee hee. It’s okay.’ And I said, ‘Not really, but whatever,’” she went on in the post. She punctuated her complaint with an angry emoticon. However, she did not know that there was more to this situation than she initially thought.
Her Mistake
They Recognized Him
Soon, the post was freely circulating on Facebook and Luann’s poorly thought-out rant had gone viral. To her dismay, it was seen by hundreds of people – and many of them were locals. Then, something unexpected happened. But the picture that Luann had snapped in her moment of anger wasn’t telling the whole story. Locals then decided to take matters into their own hands.
They Recognized Him
More Than Meets The Eye
Some people commented on her post and said that they recognized the man in the photo to be Simon Childs. This 21-year-old young adult had very bad luck in the past few months. It was true that he worked as a fry cook at the McDonalds location. However, this is not the whole picture just yet.
More Than Meets The Eye
His Lowest Point
The truth was that he was trying to catch up on sleep right before the start of his shift. He did not have anywhere else to go. He could not make the meager paycheck go that far. What made things even worse that he recently became a dad. With such a financial strain, he had no choice but to do this. Luann did not stop to consider that he was actually at his lowest point. As you can imagine, Simon was devastated when he found out about the picture.
His Lowest Point
Ripple Effect
He was already going through a rough time, so he did not need someone shaming him on the internet. “It hurt me to see my picture up there,” he explained in one interview. However, he chose not to linger on the negativity and simply move on with his life. However, the post ended up doing something unexpected for all parties involved.
Ripple Effect
Got His Back
Only days after the post went around the internet, Simon went to work and found something very unexpected. He saw stacks of formula, diapers, and more baby supplies on the floor. Those who saw the post about him decided to team up and make him feel better. Of course, he felt overwhelmed by their kindness.
Got His Back
Unexpected Kindness
“I didn’t think the community would even care enough to do that, but they care,” he said tearfully. This was not the end of it, however. Soon enough, the kindness that the people paid forward would go up to a point that he never could have dreamed of. This happened with the help of a pair of local chefs called Xavier and Theo.
Unexpected Kindness
Offering Their Car
Xavier and Theo Thomas are the owners of a local restaurant called Fusion Chefs Eatery. After hearing about his plight, the pair knew that they can do something about it and decided to help the young man out. They contacted him and informed him that he could use their car to go to job interviews. Simon had no idea that his luck was about to turn around at long last.
Offering Their Car
More Kindness
“[Simon’s story] just touched our hearts,” he explained. “[The car] definitely will help him get around and give him a better opportunity.” However, Xavier and Theo were not the only people who wanted to help this young man out. A barber stepped in to offer Simon a haircut so that he could look sharp for his interviews. The story does not end there, however.
More Kindness
For Accommodation
Several locals donated money for hotel stays so that he and his kid could have a safe place to rest in. After that, someone decided to make the effort to make him a GoFundMe account. It was not long before donations started to pour in! However, Simon remained adamant that he would not take advantage of the kindness he was shown.
For Accommodation
A Humble Man
“Everything I do I want to work for it,” this humble man said. “I actually want to use everything I’m getting from this and help other homeless people.” Let us now see what Luann, the person who made the negative post in the first place, is up to. Did the two of them make up or no?
A Humble Man
The Backlash
We daresay that it was only natural for Luann to get backlash for the post she made. However, she has since learned from it and knows better than to judge at face value. It was a good thing that the post gave Simon a better life, even if her intention was the opposite. She has even apologized to him!
The Backlash
On Social Media
But as she now knows, anything that you put up on the internet is there forever. A single post can have a lot of consequences regardless of the intention behind it. She got so much backlash for the post of Simon in the McDonalds that she chose to delete her account on Facebook! She had no idea what he had been going through at the time.
On Social Media
Apology In Person
When she found out what he was going through, she felt horrible. “I didn’t want to hurt [Simon],” she explained when she was interviewed. She went out to the McDonalds where the story all started and met the young man outside. Upon seeing him, she went in for a hug. “I’m sorry. Because, you know, that horrified me. That breaks my heart for you,” Luann told Simon. But did he accept her apology?
Apology In Person
Thanking Her
“I’m not homeless, not now, thanks to Luann,” he said joyfully. “I’m no longer sleeping in a McDonald’s, so that’s good. I feel great.” He then turned to the woman in question and said, “I do want to thank you. Not for the post per se, but for helping me pick my life up off the ground.” What did she have to say about this?
Thanking Her
The Happy Ending
When she was asked if she would ever act that way again, here was what Luann had to say: “Absolutely not. And I would handle it differently. Maybe talk to somebody and see what the situation is.” Lastly, the GoFundMe campaign was a huge success. It raised an incredible $10,000. On top of this, it is still going strong!
The Happy Ending