Olive Garden Server Visits 8-Year-Old Having Brain Surgery After Befriending Him During Shift
Family dinners out can be crazy. Someone inevitably spills something all over the table, and there’s always more noise coming from your booth than everyone else’s.
That was how a night out at one Olive Garden in Akron, Ohio, began for the Gallagher family. Krista Gallagher even told their server, 23-year-old Drew Lewis, that their table “would most likely be the craziest table of the night.”
Many a server might sigh and try to hide their irritation behind a false smile. But it turns out Drew Lewis is not just any server.
Lewis attends college on his way to becoming a police officer through the Summit County Police Academy at the University of Akron. He may not have a badge yet, but Lewis is already looking for ways to serve those in his community.
“This past Friday evening … I was at work at Olive Garden which was weird because I haven’t worked a Friday night in a couple months,” he wrote on Facebook.
“But this Friday was one of the best nights I’ve had at work in a long time,” he continued. Not words you’d expect someone to say when waiting on a family with “4 wound up kids,” as Lewis described them.
He went on to explain how he noticed the parents at one table looked a little stressed and he felt compelled to help them keep the kids content.
During his conversations at their table, Lewis connected with 8-year-old Tommy Gallagher. The police-officer-to-be noticed the boy’s shirt said #TommyStrong.
“So later in the dinner I asked him what the shirt was for and he told me that he was getting brain surgery on Monday,” Lewis wrote.
They continued talking and getting to know each other. Tommy also wants to be a policeman someday in addition to a professional chef.
Tommy asked Lewis if he would come to the hospital on the day of his surgery, Oct. 22. While the young man certainly had a lot on his plate, he decided Tommy was more important.
“There are no words to describe the feels felt by Jeff Gallagher and I for this random act of kindness,” Tommy’s mom, Krista, wrote on Facebook.
“He’s been here again to visit, canceled all his plans to be here for my baby. Please let him know how awesome he is!!!” she said.
Wow! Lewis is truly one of a kind. He went out of his way to bless this sweet family as they faced a frightening situation.
Krista Gallagher told WKYC 3 that their encounter with Lewis that night at Olive Garden was “divine intervention.”
This story is inspiring and reminds us that friendships can turn up in the most unexpected places. A little kindness goes a long way, too. For Drew and Tommy, a little kindness looks like it will last for years of friendship to come.
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