Little Girl With Autism Confuses Bride In A Wedding Dress For A Princess

Apr 25, 2023

Taking care of and raising your children is already an insurmountable task on its own. For parents with children who have special needs, the difficulty might be double, triple, or even bigger than one expect. 

But Jessica Lester tries to give her child Layla the best life she could possibly have. Diagnosed with autism, Layla Lester, who was strolling the Akron Falls Park in New York, spotted a familiar figure she usually sees in her living room playpen – Princess Cinderella!

Children have a huge imagination when growing up, especially if they are fostered by their parents through toys and by watching fantasy cartoons. Every girl, at one point or another, dreamt of either meeting a princess or being one. Layla, who happened to stroll around the park back in 2018, stumbled upon a real-life princess. 

Sharing to CBS News the adorable encounter, Jessica, Layla’s mother, recounted the moment her daughter spotted Cinderella in the park. 

"I just heard Layla run away from me screaming, 'Cinderella! Cinderella!'" Jessica recalled. "She definitely believed it was Cinderella."

Turns out, the Cinderella that little Layla was referring to was then-newlywed bride Olivia Spark, who was just taking photos of the park with his Prince Charming groom and her family. 

Layla formed a beeline toward Spark, who graciously talked to Layla to talk to her. In fact, Spark felt that she was a princess at the time, so she played along with her. 

"I was more than happy to be Cinderella for that little girl," Spark told the outlet in an interview. 

For someone who had just their wedding, Spark was very gracious enough to pretend for a short while as a real-life princess to Layla. But once she told Layla that she had to go now, she instead said that she had to go to the “ball” already, very much like Cinderella. 

After their adorable encounter, it turns out the two formed a special bond, and Spark comes and visits Layla from time to time to visit her. 

"It's an instant bond. They love each other. It's cute," Jessica further told CBS News. She further revealed that normally, Layla doesn’t talk to strangers, but when she saw Spark, she clearly made an exception to the rule. 

In her playpen, one can clearly see that Layla has a huge collection of Disney princess dolls she plays with. No wonder her heart fluttered when she saw Spark in a wedding gown. 

However, Spark wasn’t just a princess to Layla; she was also her fairy godmother, as she had created a GoFundMe page for the little kid to go to Disneyland and meet more princesses. 

"She's the epitome of a true princess. She's kind. She's sweet. She went out of her way to make Layla's day special, and who would do that other than a princess?" Jessica furthered. 

As the video hit online and was uploaded to YouTube, people on the internet were in awe of Spark for such a kind gesture she did for Layla. 

“This was so sweet. I love how 'Cinderella' didn't question why she was 'Cinderella' but she just accepted and loved it. She is a true real life princess,” someone commented. 

“Dang, she even let the kid walk all over her wedding dress.. true dedication. she may make a wonderful mother one day. That little action speaks volumes,” another shared. 

Wasn’t this story heartwarming? What can you say about Olivia Spark? Do you think she deserved to be called a princess for what she did? Let us know, and pass this on to your family, friends, and other loved ones to brighten up their day!