Sonja Redding knows the looks of strangers by heart.
She was returning home on a Delta flight with her son Xayvior after a medical research trip. The boy has methylmalonic acidemia and has also been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Rapid changes are hard for him, and she usually prepares for rude comments from other travelers.
Mid-flight, Xayvior’s mood changed: he started fussing and screaming. A few rows away, flight attendant Amanda Amburgy noticed him and didn’t wait for anyone to ask her for help. First, she offered headphones so he could watch movies and listen to music. They didn’t work. Then she offered to show him the plane. Sonja warned her that the boy could become aggressive. Amanda replied that she didn’t mind, picked him up, and took him for a walk down the aisle.
Xayvior responded incredibly well. And Sonja wrote on social media: “She was our hero on the flight home… she didn’t stare at us or judge us”.