Young Man Goes to Work Despite Neck Brace and Arm Sling

neck brace worker

When I was growing up, I remember hearing the older people that lived in my neighborhood say, “you don’t know how good you have it” until I started looking at this young man who was working his daily job at Chick-fil-A.

A customer walked into the restaurant and saw this young man behind the counter working and loving his job. The young man’s name was Jakeem, and he had been in a car accident. Jakeem was working to raise money to give it to the homeless for Christmas.

The customer thought it was a valiant undertaking and decided to help out the young man – and this is his story.

neck brace worker

From FaithIt:

When Cameron Nelson dropped by a local Chick-fil-A in Indianapolis to grab a quick bite, he didn’t expect to see a scene at the cash register that would stop him in his tracks. A young man named Jakeem was working in a neck brace and a sling, but by his jovial spirit and top-notch customer service, you’d hardly even know he was injured.

Impressed by Jakeem’s work ethic under such tough physical conditions, Cameron felt compelled to inquire about his situation.

After hearing his story, the customer posted this viral plea to Chick-fil-A on Facebook:

Dear Chick-fil-A,

I stopped at your location on Rockville Rd. in Indianapolis, IN an hour ago. The line for the drive-thru was pretty long, so I decided to go inside. When I entered, I saw a gentleman behind your cash register, who was working with a neck brace & a sling. For anyone to work in those conditions is commendable, but it’s amazing for someone in his generation to have that type of work ethic. When I placed my order, I asked him what happened to him. He said he was involved in a car accident days earlier, but was working because he needed the money and that he also wanted to use his money to feed the homeless for Christmas. And of course, he was polite and courteous.

I, along with some friends of mine, plan on making a donation to him to help him and his cause, and I wanted to know if your company would be willing to match what we contribute, or even sponsor his organization and provide all the food/drinks needed? His name is Jakeem Tyler.

Between Cameron’s personal Facebook page and Love What Matters, this message has now been shared by over 15,000 people who hope that Chick-fil-A will take note of the heartfelt plea.

And that’s not all.

A GoFundMe account has also been set up for Jakeem, and it’s already raised more than DOUBLE its goal.

Isn’t that amazing? He looks like a young man, so I’ll assume he’s part of the Millennial generation. They have a reputation for being entitled, lazy freeloaders who think everything should just be handed to them. But young men like Jakeem give me hope. There are plenty of seasoned adults who would never dream of going to work in that condition, but Jakeem is at work with a smile on his face!

That kind of work ethic is sorely needed again in this country. Good for Jakeem! He’s a role model for all young Americans!

What did you think about this story and Jakeem’s goal? Share your voices in the comment section below and don’t forget to add this story to your Facebook or Twitter timeline.

Wayne is a freelance writer who was named the 2015 American Conservative Union Blogger of the Year and awarded... More about Wayne Dupree

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