The mother of an autistic child with complex eating habits has thanked her McKnight in shining armour for saving the day.
Kerima Whiteford took to social media to seek help in meeting her son Matthew’s needs, asking when McDonald’s would reopen.
Five-year-old Matthew has high-functioning autism and is described as “very sensitive” with “rigid eating” habits.
As lockdown was about to take a grip of the country, Kerima stockpiled on his favourite McChicken sandwich and froze them to feed her son.
But these quickly ran out and meant the youngster was not eating, leaving his family sick with worry.
Step up Abby Saleem from Spice Indian restaurant in the Village, who offered to recreate the fast food for Matthew in the hope he’d finally eat.
And his generous efforts did the trick, with the youngster scoffing the whole burger offered up by Abby. And he now has more stockpiled in the freezer for the coming weeks.
Kerima told the News: “I’ve been completely overwhelmed at people’s attempts to help, especially Abby.
“I can’t thank him enough. We now have 24 of the burgers frozen for Matthew.”
The mother-of-five took to social media last week to ask if any McDonald’s stores had reopened for drive-thru or delivery as Matthew had not eaten “anything substantial in days”.
Kind-hearted locals from across East Kilbride jumped to Kerima’s aid with advice and ideas, but nothing seemed to work until Abby came forward.
He used his contacts in the catering industry to source the chicken, sweet buns, and mayonnaise to recreate Matthew’s favourite meal. And he gave them it all for free.
Abby told the News: “I totally understand as my nephew is severely autistic – we know how stressful it is for him if can’t get the things he will only eat.
“One of the things my dad taught me before he passed away was that community is family.
“Your community is everything and you have to give back. Especially as a business – it’s not just about taking.
“It’s Ramadan just now and it’s about giving back and giving as much as you can.
“But we try to give back throughout the year. I want to do it, I want to give back, because when you’ve been through hardship yourself, you don’t want to see anyone else go through it.
“A smile is the biggest charity you can give.”
Working in a children’s home, Kerima says she has been “working non-stop” in the current climate and found it hard to manage the situation with the drastic change in routine and availability of Matthew’s favourite food.
She added: “Matthew’s got a very limited diet, he’ll only eat a select few things, but it got to a stage he wasn’t eating and just drinking supplements.
“Before lockdown he was surviving on McChicken sandwiches, so I can’t wait until they open so he can eat something. It’s really worrying.
“He can’t see his dietitian and I was running out of options – he’s skin and bone at the best of times, but this was affecting his energy and he was much more withdrawn, quieter and more emotional.
“A massive thanks to Abby for his kindness and generosity. Matthew loves the burger and it meant so much to see him eat something he likes.
“I put the rest in the freezer and will be making these daily for him.
