An unexpected incident involving an 8-year-old boy from Somerset has turned into a heartwarming story about family, community support, and raising awareness for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). Holly LaFavers’ son, Liam, unintentionally rang up over 70,000 Dum-Dum lollipops on her phone. He just wound up accumulating a once-in-a-lifetime charge of $4,200!
It was around this time that Liam was diagnosed with FASD at the age of four. The LaFavers took him in when he was just two-and-a-half years old. Although the odds were stacked against her, she accepted him into her family when he was only four months old. Since then, they’ve developed an amazing, beautiful relationship. To motivate Liam throughout his daytime routine, LaFavers incentivized him by letting him play on her phone as a prize. Unfortunately, this well-meaning move created a separate and unintended issue.
During a spirited round of Jelly Jump on the family phone, Liam accidentally ordered 30 cases of Dum-Dum lollipops on Amazon. The order, which included over 70,000 lollipops, came as a shock to LaFavers when she later checked her bank account and discovered the hefty charge.
“The first 22 boxes of Dum-Dums arrived without notice,” said LaFavers. To handle the ordeal, she and her family agreed to remain home to catch any stray packages. In two hours they filled the final eight boxes!
Notably, the entire community in LaFavers’ district came together to support the LaFavers family despite this comical misunderstanding. A few local banks, a doctor’s office, and a chiropractor all bought whole boxes of the lollipops.
Liam’s reaction to the delivery was exuberant. He played outside with his new scooter and came in all smiles, yelling, “My suckers arrived!” Most importantly, it became clear that he understood the enormity of what had happened. LaFavers noted that he “knows there were a lot of boxes delivered.”
The whole incident is a perfect window into the pure wonderfulness of childhood. It provides LaFavers with a unique platform to raise awareness of FASD, which has long been underdiagnosed. She took to Facebook to share their story, emphasizing that “these kids go undiagnosed because it’s not as well known.”
LaFavers reflected on her initial panic upon discovering the order: “Don’t panic. And I panicked. I can say now that I’m on the other side of it, don’t panic.” She urges other parents who are struggling to believe in your own story. “Everything will eventually work out. Just have faith that everything will be OK, because it will be fine, and make sure you lock your phone,” she advised.
Throughout this unique campaign LaFavers has her friends and family at her virtual backboard. Along the way, she’s started a much-needed conversation about FASD in her community. “My friends and family in Somerset truly stepped up… and they were able to help,” she expressed with gratitude.
