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'Pure gratitude': Taylor police buy new iPad for boy who uses it to communicate

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TAYLOR, Mich. (WXYZ) — A mother's Facebook post caught the attention of a Taylor police officer who spearheaded an act of kindness.

Christy Warren's 7-year-old son has Down syndrome and uses an iPad to communicate. On Saturday, she says that iPad was lost after a trip to a local auto parts store.

"We're struggling so like many families, we can't just go out and replace a tablet," Warren said.

She turned to Facebook and desperately made a post for help to find the lifeline, even offering $100 for its recovery.

The post happened to catch the attention of Taylor Police Officer Jasper Mercure.

"I was scrolling through Facebook," Mercure said. "I contacted my co-workers on my shift, asked them if they would like to help out and they were all more than willing to help out."

Mercure was able to gather around 15 coworkers plus a Flat Rock community member, ordered it and in less than 24 hours, the Warrens had a new iPad in hand.

"One of my siblings is disabled and I guess you can say I have a soft spot for people who are mentally and physically handicapped," Mercure said.

As the sixth officer in his family, Mercure says helping people is just second nature. The selfless act has left the Warren family speechless.

"I'm just still in awe that they did that for my child," Warren said. "Just pure gratitude that there are kind people out there that just see a kid that needs help and they just spring into action."

Now Cylis is back in action working at his family lemonade stand, which has a mission to spread awareness about Down syndrome.

"If you see us, come grab a lemonade. We'll talk about Down syndrome — I've got stories for hours," Warren said.

Her hope is to one day become a profitable business and employ only workers with down syndrome.