Kids Wouldn't Come To Birthday Party For Boy With Autism, So 200 Strangers Step In
November 22, 2017
When it became clear not one single classmate was planning to come to her son's birthday party, Lisa Schramel broke down in tears. She'd had enough and vented with a heartbreaking post on Facebook. Then something wonderful happened. More than 200 strangers threw a birthday party for her son with autism!
Lisa Schramel of New Mexico thought she'd planned the perfect sixth birthday party for her son, Mathias. The boy with autism loved the superhero, Thor. And with the newest Thor movie coming out, Lisa planned to host his party at the local movie theater.
She sent invitations to Mathias' entire kindergarten class, leaving plenty of time to RSVP. In order to rent out the theater like she planned, she needed at least 10 kids to attend. Having the theater all to themselves would allow her son with autism to just enjoy himself like every other kid.
“We didn’t expect to have any problems with it, it was the brand new Thor movie, he’s such a big fan,” Lisa said.
But as time ticked by, Lisa didn't receive a single RSVP.
RELATED: Strangers From The Internet Rally For A Teen With Autism’s Birthday
The day before the party arrived and still, no one had replied. This left Lisa to face the heartbreaking reality no one was coming. Even if they changed their minds last minute, it was too late to book the party.
“Weeks went by, then it’s the night before and no one has gotten a hold of me," Lisa lamented. "And I’m sitting there thinking about what I’m going to do since it’s all he’s talked about, and there isn’t going to be anybody there.”
The Last Straw
It had been a rough month for Lisa and her family. Her husband lost his job, doctors found non-cancerous tumors in her breasts and a family member lay on their deathbed dying of lung cancer. Mathias' movie birthday party was going to be the bright spot.
But when not one single kid RSVP'd to the invitation, it was the final straw. Lisa lost it.
Credit: Facebook“I just don’t get how these kids get seen differently,” she says. “They are the same functional human beings on the inside as everybody else. That really made me peeved off!”
As she scrambled to try and pull together a last-minute party at home, Lisa just needed to vent a bit. So, she turned to social media. But the anguished mom's post struck a chord across the internet!
Within just a few hours, messages were pouring in. As it turns out, there were plenty of people who wanted to celebrate Mathias' birthday!
“I cried. I just cried. It was beautiful and extremely overwhelming,” Lisa recalls. “At that point, I had 15 hours to prepare a birthday party!”
It quickly became apparent this party would be too big to have at home. Since Mathias loves animals just as much as he loves Thor, Lisa checked with the local zoo to see if she could have the party there, in the recreational area.
Not only was the zoo more than happy to oblige, they even offered to let folks in for just $1.25 per ticket!
Strangers Threw A Birthday Party
Next thing she knew, Lisa was clearing out the local store of party supplies. Meanwhile, strangers were coordinating food and gifts for the party. One lady even made a colorful cake for the birthday boy!
Credit: Lisa Schramel via PeopleMore than 200 strangers wound up coming out to celebrate. In fact, guests brought so many presents, the sweet boy asked folks to start donating the gifts to animals in need!
For Mathias, who has high-functioning autism, which includes ADHD and Oppositional Defiance Disorder, the party was the best gift. It was a day where he just got to be a regular kid.
“They looked at him as just a regular little boy that wanted to play,” Lisa says. “For them to do that for us, there is no gift they could have given our family that could have meant as much.”
And the outpouring of support meant the world to Lisa, as well. With so many things going wrong, the kindness of strangers was the light in the darkness Lisa and her family needed.
“The fact that a community would stop what they’re doing to go to a little boy’s birthday that they don’t know…it was really beautiful,” she said. “It was the first moment I got to see my son be treated like other children. That’s all I ever wanted for him, just a have moments where nobody looked at him as broken or different, or in some way that made his existence seem wrong.”
h/t: People
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Emaciated Pup And Boy with Autism Found Healing Together
Today's Devotional
A Prayer for Those Who Are Lonely or Isolated This Christmas - Your Daily Prayer - December 23
This Christmas, remember how precious you are to the Creator. Remember that there is nothing you can do or say that would ever separate His presence and love from you. It’s okay to go through Christmas feeling alone and isolated, but make sure you turn to God to fill those feelings of loneliness.
Today's Devotional
A Prayer for Those Who Are Lonely or Isolated This Christmas - Your Daily Prayer - December 23
This Christmas, remember how precious you are to the Creator. Remember that there is nothing you can do or say that would ever separate His presence and love from you. It’s okay to go through Christmas feeling alone and isolated, but make sure you turn to God to fill those feelings of loneliness.
Past Stories
- Husband Decorates His Neighbors' Homes For Wife Who Loves Christmas
- Couple Befriend Older Neighbor After Hearing Music Coming From His Apartment
- California Man Carpools With Adult Children On His Very Last Day of Work Before Retirement
- Family of Three Grows To Seven Overnight With Birth of Quadruplets
- The World's Oldest Dog Spike the Chihuahua Turns 25 Years Old
- Christmas Tree Planted Back in 1979 Inspires and Unites a Small English Village
- Dick Van Dyke Turns 99 After Evacuating From a Wildfire and Welcoming His Lost Cat Back Home
- Santa and Mrs.Claus Continue to Spread Christmas Magic Even With Santa's MS Diagnosis
- Little Girl Gets a Big Elf On the Shelf Surprise Honoring the Little Brother Who Passed Away
- Little Boy From England With Leukemia Delivers Over 400 Christmas Gifts To Kids At the Hospital
- Gold Star Family Receives a Big Surprise That Will Change Their Lives Forever
- 8-Year-Old With Down Syndrome Is a Hero After Saving Sister From House Fire
- Man Paralyzed At 17 While Snowboarding Has Found True Love and a Wonderful Life
- His Wife Passed Away, Now Their Special Tree is the 2024 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree
- Granddaughter Captures Last Words Between Grandparents, Married For 69 Years
- New York State Police Rescue Woman Needing a Heart Transplant Stranded in Snowstorm
- Born the Same Year the Titanic Sank, World's Oldest Man Dies at 112
- Family Receives Support From School and Community After Losing House in a Fire
- Soldier Reunites With His Military Dog Yyacob After Years Apart
- Chicago Man Discovers That The Owner Of The Bakery He Loved To Visit Was Actually His Mother
- Husband Pays For 40 Pet Adoptions At Shelter For His Wife's 40th Birthday
- Parents Find Healing After Loss of Son By Donating His Beloved Key Collection To Little Boy
- Mom Dances With Son At His Wedding After Being Placed in Hospice Care 2 Weeks Before
- Grandmother and Young Granddaughter Battling Cancer At the Exact Same Time
- Community Brings Christmas Joy to Virginia Woman With Just Weeks to Live
- Four Friends Recreate A Fun Vacation Photo From 50 Years Ago
- School in Arkansas Mourns the Loss of Their Beloved Emotional Support Dog Abby
- 93-Year-Old Has Made Sure To Attend Every High School Football Game Since 1946
- Texas Mom Doesn't Remember Delivering Triplets After Rare Complication After Birth
- United Airlines Pilot Buys Pizza For 155 Passengers After They Make An Unexpected Stop
- Teenager With Down Syndrome Enjoys Playing Kickball After Parents Organize Neighborhood Game
- Woman in Shock After Finding Winning Lottery Ticket At the Bottom of Her Purse
- Australian Couple Walks Into Their Bedroom To Find the Cutest Koala
- 5 Boys and Their Father Were Saved By Good Samaritan After Explosion
- Daughter of WWII Soldier Finally Learns What Happened To Him, 80 Years Later
- Sisters Scream With Joy Watching Their 4-Year-Old Sister Take Her First Steps
- Her Mom Put a Message in a Bottle As a Child, 26 Years Later Her Classmate Found It
- This Missouri School Was Renamed After Their Much Loved and Dedicated Custodian
- Michael Strahan's Daughter is Now Cancer Free and Has Taught Him All About Perseverance
- These Two Newlyweds Found Love in Their Late 90s, After Meeting At Their Retirement Home
- Sisters Who Were Adopted By Separate Families Nearly 40 Years Ago Reunite After DNA Tests
- Oldest Living Person in the US Passes Away at 115, After a Long and Faithful Life
- At Just 20 and 22 Years Old, These Two Sisters From Minnesota Saved Their Family Farm
- After Over 450 Days in a Shelter, Boone and Rellie Find Their Forever Home, Together
- Sweet Kitten Named Coraline Loses Both Her Eyes, but Inspires Many with Her Spirit
- Donny Osmond Sees the 'End of the Tunnel' Coming After Performing for Over 6 Decades
- An Iguana Hitches a Ride on a Garbage Truck in Tennessee, Now Trying to Find Its Owner
- 6-Year-Old Starts 'Poop Scooping' Business to Help Animals and Adopt One of His Own
- Bride's Dad Drops During Father-Daughter Dance, but Things Lined up Perfectly to Save His Life
- Young North Carolina Father Risked His Life To Save a Couple and Dog From a Sinking Truck
Top Music Videos
The Statler Brothers 'Til the Storm Passes By' The Statler Brothers Live Performance
Jeremy Camp Jeremy Camp 'Ready Now' Powerful Official Music Video
Mark Schultz 'Different Kind of Christmas' - Live From Mark Schultz
Brad Stine Has Issues Brad Stine’s Hysterical Take on Adam Naming the Animals is Pure Gold
Kari Jobe Kari Jobe - First Love
Blogs
At GodTube, you’ll find daily inspirational videos to lift your spirits and encourage you in your walk with God. Popular videos include worship music from your favorite Christian artists, cute videos with adorable kids and animals, hilarious videos from Christian comedians, user-uploaded videos, and clean viral videos to brighten your day.