METRO DELIVERS “IMPOSSIBLE” TASK

Wishes really do come true. Sometimes, all you have to do is ask.

“He still says he loves that man at METRO,” said Beth Rogers whose son Zachary took a tour of the Rail Operation Center (ROC) last month to celebrate his eighth birthday. 

“That man” is METRO’s Director of Rail Operations Duane Sayers (pictured left), also known as “the genius” according to Zachary.  It was a relationship that dates back three to four years ago, about the same time Zachary first boarded METRORail.

“He was scared to death, but as soon as he got on, he was hooked,” said Rogers. The family would take the train to and from the hospital to visit Zachary’s father after having back surgery. They continued to ride the train not for any hospital visits, but just so Zachary could get his train fix.

It was around this time that Rogers wrote a letter to METRO to see if there was a toy train available for Zachary.  He was going through a tough time and wasn’t always able to participate in fun events. Zachary suffers from a high-functioning form of autism called Aspergers.

“His symptoms don’t always resemble autism. He can’t handle loud noises, lots of people, any changes, lack of structure,” added Rogers. “Now for some reason, he will respond positively to certain things without any reason behind it, for example, anything to do with METRO.”

That letter turned into something more.

“I had no idea that anyone would show up at my door with a bag full of things!” exclaimed Rogers.

This is where “the genius” steps into the picture. Sayers thought it would be nice to personally deliver a bag of METRO goodies to Zachary.

Now, fast forward to the present when just months ago Sayers received yet another email from Rogers.

“He’s always throwing impossible tasks my way,” added Rogers, referring to her son. “So, I sent my email knowing this was not an option, but was still just wanting to point out the impact that you guys had on the smaller party of the community.”

Zachary’s wish was to have his birthday party on-board METRORail. Though that wasn’t possible, Sayers thought of something better – to give Zachary and his family a tour of the ROC and let Zachary drive a train – using the simulator, of course.

Upon completion, Zachary received a top-operator certificate with his name on it.

And according to his mom, he has not stopped talking about his experience. “He has a big head from it, too, telling everyone he knows how to drive those trains now, and that you guys are planning to give him a job.”

The visit had a positive impact on the young aspiring train operator.

“You guys really made an impression. He has come a long way,” added Rogers. “For some reason, he just relates to METRO and everything about it.”

When asked why he went above and beyond to deliver a smile – “the genius” simply answered, “They asked.”

The moment brought back memories for Sayers, who as a young boy wanted to be a deputy sheriff helicopter pilot. Sayers wrote a letter to the helicopter division of the sheriff’s department in San Diego. A few weeks later – Sayers was up in the air, riding in an old helicopter similar to those featured in the TV show MASH.

“I ended up becoming a reserve deputy sheriff for 18 years,” said Sayers. “It just made such a big impact on me. If I had the opportunity to do this for somebody else, why not?”

At the end of the tour, Sayers reached out to shake Zachary’s hand, but instead, he got a hug.

Rogers says Sayers took a simple question and made dreams come true for her little boy.

Zachary went to Disney World soon after his visit to the ROC, but according to Rogers, though it was magical, he liked METRO’s trip better.