A MUM has revealed the kind act of a stranger who sat next to her autistic seven-year-old son as he took his first solo flight across America.
Alexa Bjornson took to Facebook to share how her son’s ‘seat mate’ wrote the anxious mum a note to assure her of little Landon’s safety on the short flight from Las Vegas to Oregon.
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Sending her son to travel alone, Alexa gave him a letter to hand over to the person sitting next to him explaining he has high functioning autism and may struggle during the trip.
The mum-of-one also sent a $10 bill (£8) for the fellow passenger in the hopes it would make them more likely to look out of Landon during the flight.
She wrote to the stranger: “He tends to get emotional when he is scared and can get hyper. He might ask you ‘are we there yet’ a few times or get a little loud.
“But If you would please find it in your heart to make him feel comfortable and safe, I would be forever grateful. Thank you so much.”
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Luckily for the seven-year-old, passenger Ben Pedraza was sat next to him – and was happy to help whenever the youngster had questions.
He even took the time to write a short message back to mum Alexa reassuring her about the flight, as well as explaining how he had donated the money she gave him to the Autism Society in honour of Landon.
The note read: “He did ask if we were there yet several times but he was a great travel buddy – we had a great time and played rock-paper-scissors.
“He’s a great kid and you’re a lucky mum. Have a great day!”
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The new found friends posed together for a photo for Alexa, before ‘cracking jokes’ and playing video games together for the rest of the flight.
Alexa posted a screenshot of the note from Ben on Facebook, thanking him for his kind and gentle reactions to Landon and for helping him to fly safely.
“I am so grateful to this individual, and that there are still kind people in the world who make a difference like I try myself to do as well,” she wrote.
Since their encounter, Alexa’s Facebook post has gone viral, seeing the pair talk on the news about Ben’s trip with Landon, as thousands of parents praise the stranger’s actions.
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“This is so awesome,” one man wrote in response. “I hope this man gets to read all the good comments people have left for him.”
Another agreed: “This gives me hope for the good in the world. Thank you, Ben, for showing the world that kindness is the best way to go.”
Ben revealed he plans to keep in touch with the mother-and-son duo, having resnated with the seven-year-old as his own nephew was disabilities rarely understood by strangers.
He told Yahoo Lifestyle: “There’s no telling where this will go, but the point is to share a moment with another person and boost your day.”
In other news, a mum was mortified as her daughter’s nursery called her in for a meeting over a drawing of a slide that looked like a penis.
While a toddler accidentally bought a £340 sofa on Amazon while playing on her mum’s phone.
And mums shared their disgust at Morrisons for selling a tiny denim miniskirt for BABIES.
