Frazzled Mom Calls Cable Technician For Help But Winds Up Getting So Much More
When Jessica Donnahoo needed help with her TV, she got much more than new cable.
Moms with young kids are busy. But moms who have young kids with special needs are next-level busy. Both types of moms are typically thankful for any extra help they can get, especially when they’re having a rough day.
Perhaps that’s why this story of a cable technician who went above and beyond the job has resonated with so many people.
A Rough Day
When Jessica Donnahoo asked Spectrum to send a technician to her home in Greenville, South Carolina, her TV wasn’t the only thing stressing her out. The mother was having a rough day with her three-year-old son, Sailor, whom she adopted at birth after years of infertility.
Sailor was born with two rare brain defects. One, optic nerve hypoplasia, caused him to be blind from birth. He also has a seizure disorder, and as a result, the tot had a tough time communicating. Because of his blindness, he was also hyper-sensitive to new textures and sounds, and he didn’t eat solid foods.
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The weekend Donnahoo called Spectrum, many of the family’s issues were causing stress. Then Rob Kinney, the technician, arrived. Before long, he turned the whole day around.
“When Sailor heard Rob the Spectrum technician speak, Sailor walked over to him and reached his arms in the air,” Donnahoo told Good Morning America. “Rob didn’t ignore him or turn him away, but instead, happily scooped Sailor up for a cuddle,” she continued.
“He had to occasionally put Sailor down so that he could plug in equipment or go out to his truck, but otherwise, he held Sailor off and on for the entire 45 minutes that he was in our home.”
Above and Beyond
With Sailor occupied, Donnahoo could fold the laundry covering her couch. Kinney continued to do his job while bouncing the child up and down until he became sleepy and content. The mother was so touched she shared the story on social media, where it went viral.
“[Sailor] has been crying all morning. I’ve been trying to soothe him while also meeting the needs of my two-year-old daughter, cleaning, washing dishes, and doing laundry while my husband works. It’s just been a tough day,” she shared in her post.
“It was a huge relief to this tired momma. Robert could have walked in, rushed, and left, but instead, he saw a need greater than internet and met it. That’s beyond customer service — it’s humanity at its best.”
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According to GMA, Kinney is a single dad to a four-year-old. That’s why, Donnahoo believes, Kinney was so quick to step up and help her that day.
“He understood the need for help, saw an opportunity to help another human being and took it,” she added. “I think the reason that this act of kindness has resonated with so many people is that we can all relate — as parents, grandparents or just anyone who has been overwhelmed. In a world of mass shootings, political scandals, and drugs, we all need to be reassured that humanity and kindness still exist. Rob and my post did just that.”
It Takes a Village
Kinney didn’t believe he was doing anything special. In fact, he told GMA the real hero of this story is Donnahoo and her husband.
“For them to adopt him and take care of him on a daily basis is much more than what I did for a short period of time,” he said. “God really has blessed that family and will continue to do so because of the kind and gentle spirit they have. They deserve more recognition than anyone.”
It’s a small reminder to all of us that it takes a village to raise children, no matter your circumstances. Parenting is hard, and there are ups and downs. But small acts of kindness and community are what can make or break any given day.
Those acts can be simple, like letting a frazzled parent ahead of you in line at the grocery store or holding the door open for someone pushing a stroller. Or they can be a bit more significant, like offering to come to hold a baby so a new parent can grab a nap, make dinner, or fold laundry.
It may seem like a small thing in the moment, but in the long run, those small acts remind all parents that they’re not alone.
