Lee Bondurant chose to spend his birthday at one of his favorite Raleigh restaurants, 42nd Street Oyster Bar in Raleigh, North Carolina.. He spent it with family and friends and in 2016, he added one more person to that list.
When he walked through the door with his friends and family around him, he was happy to see a friendly face: a server known as “Five.”
According to ABC 11, Five, a waiter at 42nd Street Oyster Bar in Raleigh, works two jobs and was getting ready to start classes again in 2017. This dedicated waiter not only served Lee and his party but did something that caught the attention of hundreds of people on social media.
Lee Bondurant has ᴄᴇʀᴇʙʀᴀʟ ᴘᴀʟsʏ – the condition, which affects his movement and muscle tone, makes it difficult for him to eat.
Five noticed that Lee’s mother was feeding him and decided to step in and give her a break so she could eat her meal.
“Seafood is best eaten hot, so I didn’t want her food to get cold. I didn’t want his food to get cold,” Five said, according to ABC 11, “I just wanted to help a fellow man out.”
Lee’s mom, Linda, took a picture of Five feeding her son. Little did she know that the image would show the start of what is now a growing friendship, but that it was also the spark of a social-media frenzy.
Five, who doesn’t have a Facebook profile, was told by his boss how well the image was doing and then he started to get recognized wherever he went.
“I’m going into the gas station and somebody wants to buy me gas, I’m like no!” Five said, according to ABC11.
“I’ve gotten letters from Austria, Australia, Canada, different states,” Five said. “I’ve never gotten that much attention in all my life.”
Some of those letters even came with money that Five has put into a fund created in Lee’s name for a ᴄᴇʀᴇʙʀᴀʟ ᴘᴀʟsʏ foundation.
The attention and the support has been overwhelming for Five, and for Lee.
“I’m very blessed,” Lee said. “It shows there are good people in the world still.”
Comforted by that thought, Lee sat down to another birthday dinner. He sat at the head of the table surrounded by loved ones and happy to welcome one more friend for the celebration.
Source: ABC11
