Many young women dream of being a princess — wearing a beautiful dress, having beautiful hair, and being the go-to person for small woodland creatures to confide in. When women get married, they do get the experience of being a princess for a day, but how many actually get mistaken for a real princess?
CBS Evening News shared a video about a 5-year-old girl with autism who mistook a bride for the one and only Cinderella. Layla Lester loves to play princesses. When CBS shows a clip of her playing with her dollhouse, you’re able to see that she has most, if not all, the Disney Princess fashion dolls.
In an interview with a CBS reporter, Layla’s mom, Jessica, says, “I just heard Layla run away from me screaming, ‘Cinderella, Cinderella!’ She definitely believed it was Cinderella.” The woman Layla thought was Cinderella is Oliva Spark, a heavy equipment operator from Western New York.
Layla saw Olivia at Akron Falls Park on Olivia’s wedding day. Layla’s mother asked her to not bother them since they were in the middle of taking pictures for the wedding. The reporter asks Jessica if she is used to chasing Layla and apologizing for her. Jessica replies, “Absolutely. And that meant a lot that I didn’t need to apologize for her.”
The story gets even better because not only did Olivia welcome Layla with open arms, she played along. Olivia says, “I was more than happy to play Cinderella for that little girl.” She talked to Layla for a good amount of time before informing her that she had to get back to the ball.
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Not only did Olivia make Layla’s dream of meeting a real-life princess come true, but they also stay in touch. Per the news station's request, Olivia showed up at Layla’s house in her wedding dress, but they do see each other all the time since their first encounter.
Jessica told CBS that Layla normally doesn’t talk to strangers but had an instant connection with Olivia. Olivia and her family even started a GoFundMe campaign to help Layla and her family travel to Disney World so Layla could experience even more princesses.
To view Layla and Olivia’s story, watch the video!
