Woman is denied a manicure because of cerebral palsy tremors, so a Walmart employee does it for her

Maggie Parker

It’s not easy for anyone to sit still during a manicure, but Angela Peters, who has cerebral palsy, has a particularly difficult time. And she was denied a manicure because “she moves too much.”

Peters was shopping at the Walmart Supercenter in Burton, Mich., when she decided to treat herself to a manicure. The store has an independent nail salon inside called Da-Vi Nails. Unfortunately for Peters, the technicians were not the most patient.

Because of her condition, Peters has a hard time keeping her hands still; tremors or involuntary movements are symptoms of CP. The nail salon denied her service because she moved too much, according to a now viral Facebook post about the occurrence.

Not all heroes wear capes — some wear Walmart vests, and one Walmart employee, Ebony Harris, refused to let this lovely lady leave with bare nails. So Harris skipped her lunch break to paint Peters’s nails herself. “I just wanted to make her day special. I didn’t really want her day to be ruined. That’s why I did it,” Harris told a local news station. “And plus she’s a sweetie,” she added. Peters, who works at a vintage shop in Burton, visits this Walmart frequently, so she was familiar with Harris.

The duo picked out a color and set up an informal salon in the Subway sandwich shop within Walmart.

A Subway staffer saw the kind act and had to share it with the world. So Tasia Smith snapped a pic of the two ladies and put it on her Facebook, along with a description of what happened.

“I just wanted to post it for awareness and appreciation because people needed to know what was going on with the business, and Ebony deserved all the appreciation she could get,” Smith said. And Harris sure is getting that appreciation. The post now has over 4,000 reactions, 3,000 shares, and 700 comments praising her for her act of kindness.

Walmart is pretty impressed, too. “Our company was built on respect for the individual and serving our customers, and Ebony is a perfect example of these values,” Tara Aston, national media relations manager for Walmart, told Yahoo Lifestyle. “She simply wanted to make sure our customer’s day was special, and that’s the kind of person she is – someone with a wonderful attitude who goes the extra mile each day to make those around her feel important. We’re not surprised at her act of kindness. Her service to customers defines the spirit of Walmart, and we couldn’t be more proud of her.”

Aston also clarified the Da-Vi Nails operates as an independent tenant and is not part of the Walmart brand.

The three women insist they don’t want to shame Da-Vi Nails. “We’re not trying to bash the nail salon; we’re not trying to make them lose customers, make them look bad,” Harris said. “But maybe, spread awareness that no matter the person, who they are, what color they are, disability, whatever, they’re people too. She’s a girly girl. She’s just like you, me, Tasia, my daughter, anybody. She wants to look pretty, you know, and so why can’t she?”

Harris said Peters’s hands moved a little bit during the manicure, which she apologized for repeatedly. “And I told her don’t say that. I said ‘you’re fine,'” Harris said.

Peters is, of course, grateful for Harris’s patience — but also for her talent. “I’m like, wow, these are amazing!” she said about her sparkly blue nails.

The three women plan to remain in touch. They already have a dinner date scheduled. Maybe next time they’ll all get manicures.

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