Woman brought to tears after thousands respond to help son with autism

BARROW COUNTY, Ga. — A Georgia woman turned to social media in hopes of helping her son with autism, and the response that she received brought her to tears.

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Renee Britt of Bethlehem, Georgia, posted Sunday on Facebook, asking if Target or some of her friends would be able to help her.

Britt's son, Dawson Britt, has autism, and Target is his favorite place.

Britt and Dawson go to the Target in Bethlehem three to four days a week and use their time there as a therapy session so Dawson can learn how to socialize.

"It's because of Target and the sweet employees like Jennifer, our favorite cashier, that Dawson learned to patiently wait in line," Britt said.

On one of their weekly trips to Target, Britt bought Dawson a "Star Wars" stormtrooper Christmas shirt, and Dawson fell in love with it.

"It was designed by artist Eddie Holly," Britt said.

Dawson wears it daily, and Britt said it seems to make him feel confident. She washes it every night and fears that it won't last long. She said it's already showing wear and tear.

"We would love to purchase another shirt, but there are none left in stock," Britt said.

Britt told friends on Facebook that she would like to buy the shirt from them if they had one.

Soon after her posting, Facebook page Love What Matters picked up Britt's story and shared it, leading to tons of attention for her wish.

Within 19 hours, the post had been shared more than 1,000 times, with people from all over the world saying that they would give their stormtrooper Target shirts to Dawson.

"This really does mean the world to us," Britt said through tears. "Thank you all so much."

Two years ago, Britt wrote the book "The Great Search For Awesome," which talks about finding the awesome inside you. Britt said she worried that the awesome in children with autism wouldn't be seen by everyone.

However, Britt said her Facebook post has reassured her that people do see the awesome in children like her son.

Cox Media Group