Police officer saves bullied boy's birthday after peers don't show up
A police officer has helped give a bullied nine-year-old boy the “best birthday ever” after nobody showed up to his party.
Officer Austin Lynema met Thomas Daniel when the cop spotted the boy chasing his school bus down the street one morning.
The officer stopped to chat with the boy and realised his mother did not have a car.
So with her permission, Thomas was given a ride to school in the patrol car.
During the trip, the officer found out it was Thomas’ ninth birthday that day.
“Thomas invited him to his birthday party after school but also confided that he gets bullied at school so he was afraid no one from his class would show up,” a post on the Grand Rapids Police Department Facebook page stated on Wednesday.
“Officer Lynema did make it to the party that evening, but unfortunately Thomas’ fears came true.”
The cop and Thomas’s siblings were the only people who showed up to the party and there was no cake, but the officer quickly devised a plan to make up for it.
The following day, Officer Lynema turned things around for the little boy, throwing his own party for Thomas.
He brought along a doughnut cake from Krispy Kreme and some of his fellow officers came too, with presents and a singing quartet.
“This is the best birthday ever,” Thomas told officers.
Now the Grand Rapids Police Department is making sure they do not miss another one of Thomas’ birthdays.
“No kid should get bullied and no kid should worry if anyone will come to the party,” the post reads.
“Next year Thomas Daniel, make sure you drop us that invite a little sooner. We wouldn’t want to miss it.”
Thousands of others have shared well wishes for Thomas on the Facebook thread and praised the cops for making the kid’s day.
“What a wonderful thing to do for this boy,” one person wrote.
“A little love goes a long way and we should all remember this.”
Another boy’s heartbreaking picture went viral last year when nobody showed up to his pizza party.
Two local sports teams offered the six-year-old birthday boy free tickets to celebrate with them at upcoming games.
Meanwhile Diary of a Wimpy Kid children’s author cheered up a nine-year-old boy whose birthday was ruined when none of his friends turned up to his party.
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