Cerebral Palsy Boy Makes Lifelong Friend At Wafflehouse

17-year-old Jeffery Filipich has cerebral palsy and is confined to a wheelchair. However, that doesn't stop him from calling Melvin Brown every Saturday morning. For ten years, Brown has met Jeffrey for breakfast at the local Waffle House.

Jeffrey is mentally retarded and legally blind, and can only use a few words and gestures to communicate. Despite this, he clearly communicates his love for the 65 year old equipment operator every time that he sees him.

"It's the highlight of my week as well," says Brown, who is married and has three grown children.

According to Jeffrey's mom, he loves to go out to eat and he loves to meet new people. Mrs. Filipich is a nurse and her husband is a perfusionist, so they are both aware of just how fragile Jeffrey is in his condition.

"We're very lucky," Sharon said. "Jeffrey's been healthy until this year."

However, recently he's been having two or three seizures a month. His mother says that they are hoping to get a handle on them soon.

According to a 2003 study done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the costs of caring someone with CP can be almost $2,000,000 dollars. These costs don't matter much to the Filipich family. Nothing will stop Jeffrey from calling his friend every Saturday morning.