Usually quiet and introverted, Ryheem Lumpkins has learned that he enjoys meeting new people who come into the Pizza Ranch where he works in Independence, Missouri. The high schooler, whose hands and arms never fully developed, has been manning the cash register for about a month, or sweeping floors and wiping down the buffet if no one is in line to pay. “I don’t think of it as a disability. It don’t prevent me from nothing. If I feel like I can do it, I can do it,” he told KCTV News. A month ago, Robert Samay was so impressed by that attitude that he gave him a $5 tip, and then came back Tuesday to say a much bigger thank you - $2,500 in $50 bills. Ryheem hopes one day to be a motivational speaker for kids like him. His message? “Embrace what you have different from other people. Because a lot of people think it’s cool and a lot of people wouldn’t think it’s cool. The negative words, don’t let it get to your head. Because there’s a lot of positive in the world. There’s more positive than negative.”
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