A server at a Texas IHOP restaurant made one man with Down syndrome’s feel extra special when she made him his own, personalized name tag.
The moment Millie Young, who is employed at the location in Abilene, Texas, presented Dwayne Roach, 50, with the keepsake featuring the ‘Captain America’ moniker was captured in a photo taken by Roach’s sister, Regina Thomason.
Thomason had taken Roach to the restaurant for a meal following a doctor’s appointment on Tuesday, and shared the recap of the exchange the next day.
‘When people come in, I want to make them smile,’ Young told Fox San Antonio. ‘If they leave happy, it makes me happy.’
Social media users flocked to the post, showing approval with ‘like,’ ‘love’ and laughing reactions, proving that it really is the little things that matter most in life.
Texas IHOP server Millie Young made the day of of Dwayne Roach, a 50-year-old man with Down syndrome, feel extra special when she made him his own, personalized name tag featuring the moniker, ‘Captain America’ on Tuesday
Thomason shared a photo of Young pinning the tag featuring the name Roach had told her on his shirt, explaining how it came to pass.
‘Yesterday – after a Dr.’s appointment – we went to IHOP in Abilene,’ she wrote.
‘Dwayne immediately noticed the waitress’s name tag (Dwayne has a thing for badges and name tags).
‘He told the waitress that he liked her name tag and then told her that his name is ‘Captain America.'”
Regina Thomason had taken Roach to the restaurant for a meal following a doctor’s appointment on Tuesday, and shared the recap of the exchange the next day; Thomason (left) is seen here with her brother (right) in a photo shared to social media on March 21, 2014
Roach had told Young his name was ‘Captain America’ when she asked, which is how he ended up with that one his name tag; His sister said that sometimes he also goes by ‘John Wayne’
That exchange by itself would have been nothing out of the ordinary for anyone involved.
But Young took it upon herself to shine some light into another person’s life, by paying attention and going the extra mile.
‘Before we left – here comes the waitress – pins a name tag on Dwayne’s shirt – and yes it said “CAPTAIN AMERICA” – Dwayne was thrilled!’ Thomason wrote.
‘Thank you to Millie at Ihop. [You] made his day!’
The feeling was mutual for Young, who also got a lot of joy out of their interaction.
‘When he left, I said, “Bye, Captain America!” and he just giggled,’ she said. ‘It made me feel good.’
Roach doesn’t always go by ‘Captain America,’ though.
He also has a badge from the Breckenridge police department, which made him an honorary deputy.
That might be more fitting for his other alter ego, as Roach sometimes tells people his name is ‘John Wayne,’ Thomason said.
She added that her brother also has several badges from his uncle, who is a sheriff’s deputy.
The exchange took place at the IHOP located in Abilene, Texas, where Young works