PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (WMBB) — A young FedEx fan’s dream was made once again.
Brittany Leis said her son, Sawyer, was diagnosed with moderate to severe autism when he was two years old.
He also loves the package delivery service FedEx.
Two weeks ago, News 13 reported that Sawyer received a package full of FedEx-themed gifts from their local delivery man, Justin.
On Wednesday, FedEx took the kind gesture a step further. Justin and his team stopped by the Leis’s home with another big surprise.
Sawyer had the opportunity to get an up-close look at the delivery truck.
“While [Sawyer] was sitting in the driver’s seat, he was looking over the steering wheel onto the hood of the truck at that logo that he loves,” Leis said. “He even wanted to climb on top of the truck so he could see it better.”
Pickup and delivery manager Steve Lankford and other managers from the local FedEx station brought Sawyer more FedEx-themed gifts.
“Went through and picked out what we could from that, and got what we could from the station and brought it out here for him,” Lankford said.
They brought toy delivery trucks, a FedEx uniform, and Sawyer’s favorite: more highlighters.
“There were two little outfits: FedEx pajamas and the FedEx driver uniform, which I’m sure he can’t wait to wear,” Leis said. “He loves soft clothing, so I know [the pajamas] are probably going to be his favorite outfit.”
Leis said Sawyer’s reaction to the surprise was unlike anything she’s ever seen.
“They’re working with him at therapy on telling us how he’s feeling because he struggles explaining that… And so I asked him how he’s feeling and he said, ‘I’m happy,'” Leis said. “On his own, [Sawyer] started saying, ‘I love you, I love you,’ which we don’t hear that often… I don’t know that I’ve ever heard him say it on his own, so that was pretty cool.”
Lankford said he was thrilled to meet FedEx’s biggest fan.
“It’s always good to reach out to the community, especially when it involves little ones like Sawyer,” he said. “Just glad we could come out here and help brighten his day.”
After experiencing the act of kindness from complete strangers, Leis has a message:
“Take a minute to be kind, even if it’s smiling at someone in a grocery store, or just going a step further to hold a door open for somebody,” she said. “Just anything you can do to show kindness.”
