When it’s your birthday, a little love can go a long way to make you feel special. After all, it is your day, a celebration of when you came into this world. It’s when dreams and wishes really do come true, on a day that is all about you, that things get more magical. Everyone has a different idea of how they want to celebrate their birthday. For some, it’s a party with pizza, a birthday cake, and friends. For others, it’s spending time in the drive-thru and making customers happy!
Elijah Sprague is a 14-year-old boy from Mobile, Alabama, living with autism and cerebral palsy. He may have special needs, but his family doesn’t let them get this birthday boy down. As per Elijah’s wish, everyone came together to make this day one to remember, and that includes opening a Chick-fil-A on a Sunday!
The teen was born 18 weeks premature and has limited speech. The Spragues adopted Elijah when he was a baby, and they were told he wouldn’t live past a year. So much for that, because Elijah has surpassed his life expectancy, showing no signs of slowing down. He truly is a miracle baby who keeps fighting and living and breathing each and every day–which makes this (and every) birthday that much more remarkable.
Elijah’s dream is to work in a drive-thru. Mom, Rene Sprague, says, “My brother, Elijah’s uncle, is one of the manager’s at the local Chick-fil-A.” It’s the boy’s favorite spot and he loves to visit his uncle there often. Rene decided to speak to her brother and ask if he would approach his boss about opening on a Sunday so Elijah could celebrate his birthday. She was thrilled when the manager agreed. Rene says, “He was like, ‘Why are you even asking?” Absolutely, we have to do it.'”
The restaurant opened on the day they’re normally closed and Elijah got to sit in the drive-thru window and hand out cookies to 40 friends that came by! For Rene, this is a really big deal. She says, “This is super special to us. Elijah’s not going to graduate like our other kids. He’s not going to get married or have kids. So this is just a really cool experience to us for him to have this level of attention…it’s neat for people to recognize he’s a really cool kid.” The look of happiness and joy is enough to make anyone’s heart melt. Sometimes it’s the simple things in life that make a huge difference.
Click on the video below and watch Elijah celebrate his birthday in the best way possible.
