A woman who has used a wheelchair since she was 2 says a birthday celebration with friends and family took a disturbing turn when their Hudson waterfront restaurant in New Jersey dropped off dessert. Antonia Sinibaldi was celebrating her 29th birthday at Blu on the Hudson in Weehawken when she sa ys she and her cousin ordered the same apple cinnamon treat. The message on hers — “Happy Birthday Wheelchair” — made her body start to spasm, Sinbaldi says. “The body started shaking, body started spasming. My body reacted faster than my mouth or my mind,” she said. Sinbaldi says her group spoke to a manager at the restaurant and got a complimentary drinks offer but no apology. Blu on the Hudson later said it was deeply saddened by the June 20 incident and apologized. The Weehawken eatery explained in a statement that the word “wheelchair” was used to identify the table receiving the cake, and was inadvertently written on the plate. “The word ‘wheelchair was used as a reference to identify where a birthday dessert with a candle should be delivered,” Blue on the Hudson said in a statement. “Unfortunately, that notation was misunderstood and was written on the plate itself.” “There was absolutely no malicious or disrespectful intent behind the notation,” it continued. “However, we fully understand how seeing that word written on a plate could be deeply hurtful and upsetting.” The restaurant says it has taken steps to avoid such incidents in the future. Still, Sinibaldi, an artist and musician, believes someone should have known better. “It offended me. This whole thing doesn’t sound real,” she said. This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC New York. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC New York journalist edited the article for publication. ...read more read less