Theme Park Employee Hailed a Hero for Her Response to a Rider Having an Autistic Meltdown

On a recent family vacation to Universal’s Islands of Adventure theme park in Orlando, Florida, 9-year-old Ralph Koppelman had just one thing on the brain: The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man ride.

His mom, Lenore Koppelman, chronicled the events of their day in a now-viral Facebook post that is winning the internet this week for ALL of the right reasons.

Ralph, who is “awesomely autistic,” spent the day patiently waiting and anticipating his chance to ride the Spider-Man ride, which was near the exit.

“He kept on asking us if the ride was coming up soon, and we would reassure him and say ‘Soon, Baby. Soon.’” Lenore writes in her post, saying it would be one of their last rides.

“He was SO patient for SO long. As patient as he possibly could be. He would say ‘Okay’ and sigh, and then enjoy the next ride. But all the while, the excitement was building up to the pinnacle of his day: The Spiderman ride near the exit of Islands of Adventure.”

When it finally came time to head to Spider-Man, it took everything in Ralph not to explode with excitement.

“The anticipation was driving him wild!” Lenore says.

After waiting the final 15 minutes for their turn to get onto the ride, Ralph was leaping for joy. He had made it!

“You should have seen the SMILE on his face. It was incredible.”


Bri Lamm
Bri Lamm
Bri Lamm is the Editor of foreverymom.com. An outgoing introvert with a heart that beats for adventure, she lives to serve the Lord, experience the world, and eat macaroni and cheese all while capturing life’s greatest moments on one of her favorite cameras. Follow her on Facebook.

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