Essential workers have been the glue holding society together since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. People around the world have been looking for ways to thank essential workers for their service, whether that means offering them free shoes, or creating a collection of action figures in their honor.

Eddie Lin, a 22-year-old from New Jersey, came up with an idea to thank essential workers that is bursting with creativity. Eddie was diagnosed with Autism at 3 years old, and with the support of his loving parents, learned to do many things that we take for granted. Eddie has a great relationship with his mom, who is usually his caretaker, and his two siblings. But Eddie and his dad, James, share a very special bond.

“Shaving with real blades and white bubbles is their special bonding time,” Eddie’s mom, Jenny Lin, explained. “When Eddie went to prom, he said, ‘ONLY Daddy helps me with the suit and tie and my hair. NOT Mommy’”.

At a young age, Eddie developed a fascination with balloons. At first, he used Youtube videos to teach himself how to turn them into sculptures. Because of the loving support of his parents, Eddie was able to take his passion for creating balloon art to the next level. Eddie’s family comes from Taiwan, and his dad’s side of the family is still there. In 2014, Eddie went on two very special trips to Taiwan – one with his mom, and one with his dad. Not only did he get to visit family, but Eddie’s parents enrolled him in professional balloon classes to improve his unique skill set.

Eddie (aka the “Ausome Balloon Creator”) has always loved superheroes, but his love of heroes expands way beyond the ones we see in movies – Eddie wanted to honor the heroes we encounter every day. The idea first emerged when a friend’s mom, a grocery store manager, expressed that she was very stressed at work. In typical Eddie fashion, he decided to cheer her up – his way.

 

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Hello new followers! We wanted to thank you so much for flooding us with love and support. Here’s a balloon piece Eddie made for his best friend’s mom, another essential worker working in a supermarket! Eeyore is her favorite. Remember to thank your grocery store clerks and managers!

A post shared by Ausome Balloon Creator (@ausomeballooncreator) on May 3, 2020 at 11:26am PDT

Eddie also made a balloon sculpture for his mailman,

 

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Some of you might have read that our balloon postal worker made it into the hands of an actual postal worker! Meet Maganbhai Patel! Being a postal worker is actually a family affair. His kids also work for the post office and gave the now famous balloon postal worker to their father. Maganbhai is 79 years old and has worked for the post office in Plainfield for 32 years! He’s going to retire this year. In early April he contracted COVID-19. Fortunately he was able to make a full recovery and got clearance to go back to work. We’re so glad we could be any part of his journey with the postal service. And to top it all off, it’s his 52 wedding anniversary today! Congrats to the whole family and thank you for your service as essential workers!

A post shared by Ausome Balloon Creator (@ausomeballooncreator) on May 13, 2020 at 4:27pm PDT

And medical workers.

 

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It’s National Superhero Day! We want everyone to remember that not all superheroes wear capes (or are in the Marvel Universe). Some of them are right in our community, working hard to help keep us safe!

A post shared by Ausome Balloon Creator (@ausomeballooncreator) on Apr 28, 2020 at 1:34pm PDT

Eddie’s mom told CNN, “In his head, people who go above and beyond, those are heroes.”

We think you’re a hero too, Eddie. Thank you for making the world a little brighter.