Firefighters Save Little Boy's Birthday Party After Only One Friend Shows Up To Celebrate
Few scenarios tug at a parent’s heartstrings like the thought of a birthday child standing alone at his party, wondering why none of his friends showed up to celebrate.
Young Dominic Giatras was eager to celebrate his seventh birthday with friends at a GymQuest in Plainfield, Illinois, according to The Chicago Tribune.
But sadly, only one child showed up for the fun, despite many families telling Dominic’s mother that they would be there.
Dominic’s mother had been ill with pneumonia and was unable to attend the party, but his 24-year-old big sister, Alexandria Giatras, was there to accompany him.
Giatras found herself in the awkward position of trying to answer Dominic’s questions about when his friends would arrive.
Only one guest showed up to a Plainfield boy’s seventh birthday party. So firefighters celebrated with him instead. https://t.co/2zBSzYrNb4
— Chicago Tribune (@chicagotribune) November 20, 2019
Meanwhile, GymQuest employee Noreen Mattson noticed that Dominic’s party was off to a pitiful start.
According to WGN-TV, Mattson made a phone call to the Plainfield Fire Department to ask if any firefighters were available to rescue this little boy’s soon-to-be-crushed spirits.
“I called, I was a little emotional. I thought they would think it was a crank call because it wasn’t an emergency,” Mattson told WGN.
But the firefighters were available and eager to help, and quickly jumped in the fire engine to help make Dominic’s party a blast.
“Nothing sadder than that: it’s lights and siren time,” Plainfield Fire Department Chief Jon Stratton told WGN. “Time to get over here and support that little guy.”
When Dominic realized a whole team of heroic firefighters had shown up just to play with him, he was bursting with excitement.
“I thought he was going to jump out of his shorts, honestly. He was overjoyed and the smile never left his face,” Stratton said.
When they got the call about a birthday boy in need, these firefighters jumped into action— and a foam pit. “Within seconds we were… running around like kids,” one said. https://t.co/aG25fMS64k
— WGN TV News (@WGNNews) November 20, 2019
Giatras said the party was like a dream come true for her little brother.
“It turned from nothing to something every kid would dream of,” Giatras told The Chicago Tribune.
Giatras explained that her little brother was formally adopted into her family in 2015 after his biological mother died from a drug overdose.
“He’s had kind of a tough life, and to top it all off no one came to his birthday party,” Giatras said. “It’s the kind of thing that — it almost changes his life. It made such a big impact. The way he jumped up and down when he saw (the firefighters), I’ve never seen anything like it.”
The whole crew stayed for pizza and cake, wishing Dominic the happiest of birthdays.
Firefighter Chad Krnac had so much fun spreading joy and laughter that he already has plans for Dominic’s eighth party: “I told him he better invite me to his next birthday.”
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