When 3 year old Lucas Thompson was born, he was held in the hospital for a number of months due to problems associated with gastroschisis.
When Lucas’s mother, Amy Thompson, planned a trip for a Cardinals baseball game in July, she was unprepared for the day that was about to unfold.
As Amy reached the stadium, she was soon distracted by a call from the doctors saying how Lucas’s gastroschisis would require milk as a key to recovery.
Already equipped with a feeding tube tucked under his Yadier Molina Cardinal’s Shirt, Lucas was in need of milk if this trip to the stadium was going to be saved.
With little hope that she would be able to find the milk she needed, Amy asked a passing usher if there was any way for him to help her out.
The usher went above and beyond his line of work, and did everything in his power to get the Thompson family the milk they needed.
Amy Thompson wrote the following letter commending the Cardinal’s usher for excelling at his job:
“Thank you.
When I asked you if you knew where I could find milk for my son, at Busch Stadium on a sweltering summer evening, I expected you to tell me I was out of luck, or at best offer a vague suggestion.
Instead, you took us several sections over into the Redbird Club even though our tickets didn’t grant us access, because you knew it housed a bakery – but they were out of milk. Instead of giving up, you took us three levels down to a store on the main concourse, where we once again struck out – which you know, because you stayed and helped us look. So you led us halfway around the stadium to a donut stand, where we at last found what we were looking for. While I paid for it you grabbed us the straw my son was asking for, along with some napkins for good measure. And then you went back with us, halfway around the stadium and up three levels and back through the Redbird Club and over several sections, to make sure we didn’t get lost on our way back, because we’d had to travel so very far to find that bottle of milk. It took two innings, but you made sure my son was happy.
You did all this not knowing why that milk was important to us. You may have thought my son was spoiled, or that I was a pushover unwilling to say no to her three year old. If you thought that, you didn’t show it. You were wonderful.
What you didn’t know is that beneath my son’s Yadi t-shirt there’s a central line and a feeding tube. You didn’t know that the unusual form and function of his little body mean that he dehydrates easily, but also that drinking too much water could ultimately land us in the hospital, and for whatever reason, against most logic, right now milk is the thing he tolerates best.
You didn’t know that for the better part of the last three years it’s been incredibly hard for us to go places on a whim, or that in recent months we’ve vowed not to let his medical needs stop us from doing things, and so taking up our friends on these last-minute Cardinals tickets was a small triumph for us. You didn’t know that we might be facing another big surgery soon that could keep us mostly quarantined to our own house for weeks or months; or that I’d forgotten to grab his milk because I’d received an unexpected and lengthy phone call from his doctor as we were packing up our ballgame bag and had been distracted by talking through the laundry list of changes she wanted us to make in a last-ditch effort to avoid that surgery.
You didn’t know those things. You just saw a boy who wanted some milk, and you were kind to him. And I can’t thank you enough.”
In response to this amazing letter from Amy to the fantastic Cardinal’s employee that went the extra mile to help her family, the St. Louis Cardinal’s baseball team issued a statement thanking the Thompson family and commending the usher for their act of kindness.
“We are blessed to have outstanding event staff who pride themselves on doing everything they can to enthusiastically exceed guest expectations. Our mission is to deliver world class service to all fans who come through the turnstiles of Busch Stadium. It is through the efforts of all of our employees that the St. Louis Cardinals have earned the reputation as being one of the most fan, and family-friendly, places to visit in baseball. This is an inspiring story, and a wonderful example of how any employee can do something extraordinary with a simple act of kindness.”
It is incredible to see how one simple act of kindness can result in such an incredible story for all parties involved.
For the Thompson family, they were able to enjoy there day out at the ballpark without having to worry about leaving early due to Lucas’s condition.
The Cardinal’s baseball team is equally thrilled that they could provide such a high level of service through their incredible stadium staff, and we imagine they will continue to try and push employees to go above and beyond whenever they can do so.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
