'Thank you for being so kind to Kate': Mother's moving tribute to businessman who entertained her autistic daughter

on plane goes viral

Shanell Mouland, 36, from New Brunswick, Canada, was shocked to find that her message was read more than 51,000 times The 'stranger' has since been identified as Eric Kunkel - a businessman from New Jersey
By Sadie Whitelocks PUBLISHED: 22:04 GMT, 14 January 2014 | UPDATED: 22:53 GMT, 14 January 2014

A heartfelt open letter from a mother thanking a 'kind stranger' for entertaining her autistic daughter during a two-and-half-hour flight has been read more than 51,000 times with many deeming it a 'touching' and 'beautiful' story. Shanell Mouland, 36, from New Brunswick, Canada, uploaded a note to her blog Go Team Kate last Thursday detailing how the mystery passenger engaged her three-year-old Kate in conversation instead of ignoring her. 'Thank you for not making me repeat those awful apologetic sentences that I so often say in public,' she wrote. 'Thank you for entertaining Kate so much that she had her most successful plane ride, yet. And, thank you for putting your papers away and playing turtles with our girl.'

Grateful: Shanell Mouland, 36, from New Brunsw ick, Canada, penned an open letter thanking a stranger for being kind to her autistic daughter Kate during a tw o-andhalf-hour plane journey - she has since been reunited w ith the m an

Not only did Mrs Mouland's letter attract thousands of hits but it also saw her reunited with the 'hero' in question. One of Eric Kunkel's relatives forwarded him the post and he was amazed when he realized he was the one being praised. 'I read it and then went to [the Mouland's] Facebook page and the rest is history,' the married businessman from New Jersey said. The Moulands and Kunkels have now become good friends. Mrs Mouland revealed in her letter how Mr Kunkel had allowed Kate to call him 'daddy' without issuing a correction. The mother-of-two continued: 'The moment you sat down, Kate started to rub your arm.

Hero: Eric Kiunkel said he w as shocked w hen he realized he w as the 'stranger' being praised

'Your jacket was soft and she liked the feel of it. You smiled at her and she said: "Hi, Daddy, that's my mom." Then she had you.' 'You could have shifted uncomfortably in your seat. You could have ignored her. You could have given me that 'smile' that I despise because it means; 'manage your child please.' 'You did none of that. You engaged Kate in conversation and you asked her questions about her turtles.' Mrs Mouland detailed in her letter, titled 'Dear 'Daddy' in Seat 16C Flight 1850 From Philly', how traveling with her autistic toddler can often be difficult. She was especially nervous this time around because she had been split up from her husband, who was sitting in another area of the plane with their other daughter. But thanks to Mr Kunkel's kindness, Kate stayed well-behaved for the duration of the flight from Philadelphia to Maine and only started getting agitated towards touch down. At the end of her letter, Mrs Mouland reassured her unknown companion: [Kate] was fine the moment we stepped off the plane. Thank you for letting us go ahead of you. She was feeling overwhelmed and escaping the plane and a big, long hug was all she needed. 'So, thank you. Thank you for not making me repeat those awful apologetic sentences that I so often say in public. 'Thank you for entertaining Kate so much that she had her most successful plane ride, yet.' After reading the message, one commentator wrote: 'This is such a great story, it brought tears to my eyes. I have a daughter and know exactly what it is like to have to do the apologizing.'

And another added: 'This was a very touching story and I am so glad that things turned out well. Sometimes we forget that there are still good people out there and are understanding.'

From the heart: Mrs Mouland's open letter has since attracted m ore than 51,000 hits since it w as posted on January 9

Mrs Mouland said the experience taught her to never judge someone based on their appearance - which she did do with Mr Kunkel when she saw him on the plane. 'I assumed that a man in a business suit wouldn't be patient with Kate,' she told Yahoo, 'and I'm so fortunate to have been proved wrong.' Mrs Mouland and her family were returning home from a vacation at Disney World in Orlando and taking a connecting flight.

'I assumed that a man in a business suit wouldn't be patient with Kate and I'm so fortunate to have been proved wrong.'
She decided to write an open thank you letter to the man she has now identified as Mr Kunkel after getting home and realizing what a gift she had received. Her daughter Kate was born eleven days late in May of 2010 and was a few weeks old when doctors diagnosed her with hypothyroidism - a condition affecting the thyroid gland. Mrs Mouland said she first started to realize something else was wrong with Kate when her speech and motor skills were slow to develop. In July 2012 she met with a pediatrician and speech pathologist who asked questions and made various observations. Recalling the meeting she writes on her blog: 'The assessment took about two hours. They asked if she pointed at things and looked for our reactions; she did not.

Kate w as diagnosed w ith autism in July 2012 after her m other noticed her speech and m otor skills w ere not developing as they should have been

'They asked if she had an interactive attention span and again she did not. They asked many more questions and I tried to craft my answers so that they could not nail down a diagnosis. '[My husband, Alex and I] still had hope, until the very last minute when the doctor walked into the room, sat down and said: "Kate has autism spectrum disorder." have no idea what she said after that. 'I held it together a little bit until I walked in and saw my mom and my brother. Then I cried for a little while.' She says that she finds comfort in blogging about her experience of bringing up an autistic child. 'The emails and comments we are receiving through this blog have been priceless to us. 'The sweet comments and the suggestions are helping us make connections that are going to change things for kids like Kate and their families.' However, she says her main aim with the blog is to encourage a better understanding of autism so there will be more Mr Kunkels in the world.
Read more:

Go Team Kate Blog

Comments (134)
Share what you think Newest Oldest Best rated Worst rated View all Mitzi, None, United States, 16 minutes ago Neurological brain damage, or what they are now calling autism, is becoming such an epidemic that people are starting to know what it is. Those that have a soul are compassionate. You have a child with it and you think people don't know but they do.

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Grin N. Bareit, frownturnupsidedown, United Kingdom, 17 minutes ago read it on fb the other day and it made me cry. so glad they found each other and have become friends. lovely story, lovely man.

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Click to rate Zelda, Hyrule Castle, United Kingdom, 29 minutes ago I saw this on Facebook earlier, and I teared up reading it. A couple of my family members are autistic, and I wouldn't be able to thank anyone who spent their time and effort like Eric did enough. Lovely man, heartwarming story!

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Charles, London, United Kingdom, 37 minutes ago If a youngster called me "daddy" I would be incredibly flattered, I think it's pretty much the best compliment you can get.

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Click to rate myra, minneapolis, United States, 54 minutes ago We need to all be a little more self aware so that these events are commonplace and not a rarity.... I hope my behavior reflects all the good qualities my mother tried to instill in me. blessings to everyone.

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Click to rate Mick, Sydney, 1 hour ago The nice things good people do everyday often go unnoticed. It's nice when someone goes the extra mile to share a kindness they've been given with the rest of us.

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Click to rate Ed, London, 1 hour ago Would she have done this if it was a woman talking to her daughter? Probably not. Why are people always so surprised if a man is nice?

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TJ, San Antonio, 52 minutes ago

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Strange question. I have women in my family who are irritated and without patience for "normal" children without behavioral or other disorders. This is not a man/woman issue. She did qualify her statement by specilfying "a business man in a suit" and that he put away his "papers", ie, work he had intended to do on the plane, I can assume. 1 27 Click to rate Jimmie, Wilmington, United States, 1 hour ago What a great story and the great guy! Way to go Mr. Kiunkel!

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Click to rate AnnaMaria, Chicago-USA, United States, 1 hour ago I observed a similar situation on a four-plus hour flight in 2007. From the time the man sat down until the plane landed, he talked to and played with the little girl (in the middle seat) for almost the entire flight. When I told the flight attendant how nice this man was to the little girl and her mom, the flight attendant gave him some coupons for free items on his next, connecting flight, or for whenever he chose to use the coupons with that airline. He said the little girl reminded him of his own child, and he was the absolute most patient man! I will never forget observing how kind he was. He was flying from Seattle to

Minneapolis, and then flew on to somewhere in Kansas (I think), in February, and he was in the aisle seat, second last row...in case he reads this!

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Click to rate ray weaver, baltimore, United States, 1 hour ago I have a sly smile on my face. That man must be a father or wish he was. That is a real man's man

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