FAYETTE COUNTY, Ga. — The woman who took a picture of a man sleeping in a Fayette County McDonald’s and posted a negative Facebook rant about him has now met the man to apologize.
We introduced you to Simon Childs, 21, earlier this week after he spoke to Channel 2's Matt Johnson.
The homeless father had been resting between his shifts at the fast-food restaurant whent Luann Cofield snapped the photo. She ended up catching flack for the photo after posting it online.
A woman took a picture of a man asleep at a McDonalds and complained on Facebook, and how the community responded changed his life forever.
— Matt Johnson (@MattWSB) June 24, 2019
"I'm not homeless, not now, thanks to her."
@ 11 #Nightbeat pic.twitter.com/OFQ6iYRu5r
On Friday, she met Childs to apologize. That picture ended up changing his life.
“I’m no longer sleeping in a McDonald’s, so that's good,” Childs told Johnson. “I feel great.”
He now has an SUV, a new wardrobe and a new job thank to donations from the Fayetteville community.
One of his supporters now was once his loudest critic.
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Cofield met Childs for the first time Friday after posting the picture that made him feel hurt.
“What makes you the most emotional about all this?” Johnson asked Cofield.
“I didn’t want to hurt him,” Cofield said.
The two hugged as they met outside the McDonald’s where the photo was taken.
Look at him today! After his story became international news, he's upgraded his look and he's standing next to the car that was donated for him to borrow. He starts a new job next month. He's staying with someone who heard his story and took him in temporarily. pic.twitter.com/0bHLIAwDvK
— Matt Johnson (@MattWSB) June 28, 2019
“I’m sorry, you know? Because you know that horrified me. That breaks my heart for you,” Cofield told Childs.
Cofield said the online backlash forced her to delete her Facebook account.
But Childs said he never been angry, only thankful.
“I do want to thank you,” Child told Cofield. “Not for the post per se, but for helping me pick my life up off the ground.”
Even after our interviews, the two people once on opposite sides of a camera lens turned the focus on getting to know each other for the first time.
“Do you think you would ever do this again?” Johnson asked Cofield.
“Absolutely not. And I would handle it differently. Maybe talk to somebody, talk to them and see what the situation is,” Cofield said.
Childs said his old situation isn't uncommon and compassion shouldn't be either.
“I actually want to use everything I’m getting from this and help other homeless people,” Childs said.
A GoFundMe account has been set up to help Childs. CLICK HERE for more info.
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