ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orlando waitress credited with helping to save the life of an abused boy with a quick-thinking note was honored for her heroism by the Florida agriculture commissioner on Thursday.
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried declared Jan. 28, 2021 as Flaviane Carvalho Child Advocacy Day after Flaviane Carvalho, a waitress and manager at Mrs. Potato Restaurant in Orlando.
“Thank you so much, I never expected something like this never in my life,” Carvalho said.
On New Year’s Eve, she noticed that the boy sitting at one of her tables wasn’t allowed to order any food.
Then she saw marks on the few inches of skin she could see from underneath the boy’s hoodie, glasses and face mask. There was a glimpse of a bruise on his temple and a big scratch between his eyebrows.
Carvalho concocted a plan. She wrote, “Are you OK?” on a piece of paper and held it up to the boy, from where his parents couldn’t see. The boy nodded yes.
She tried again. “Sure?” she wrote this time. Another nod. But the restaurant manager said she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.
“Do you need help?” she wrote on her final note. Another nod.
She called police.
Orlando Police Chief Orlando Rolon said that call resulted in the arrest of both the boy’s mother and stepfather.
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