When Mary Lapkowicz and Ben Moser were in fourth grade, Ben consistently surprised his teacher Tracey Spogli when he made sure to include Mary in classroom activities. This kind act was especially heartwarming since Mary was born with Down syndrome. “Ben would always keep an eye out for Mary, making sure she was smiling and happy,” explained Spogli to Buzzfeed News. “I referred to Mary as ‘Little Mary Sunshine’ because she was the sunshine in our classroom. The entire experience of that fourth grade year was a very positive learning experience for the entire classroom and I am so proud to have been part of it!”
Not only did Ben go out of his way to make sure that his friend was included, he also promised her that they would go to prom together when they were older. But in sixth grade, the two drifted apart when Mary moved to a different school district, one where her father worked as a math teacher. At this new school, she helped her father with the high school football team by becoming an equipment manager, while Ben ended up becoming a quarterback at his own school. Last year, Mary and Ben crossed paths when their schools played against one another, which is when Ben remembered his thoughtful promise.
“We got balloons and I wrote ‘prom’ on it,” Ben said to Patriot News. “I presented her with the balloons and asked her to go to prom with me.” Although Mary was initially surprised that Ben remembered his past promise, she agreed to go with him and was overjoyed when he asked. After having a wonderful time at prom, Mary’s brother wrote that Ben’s incredibly thoughtful act “put a smile on Mary’s face & restored my faith in humanity.”
via [Patriot News, Distractify, BuzzFeed News]