A Utah teenager with Down syndrome has melted the hearts of the Internet after going viral on TikTok.
In a video shared on the platform by his mother Kimberly Dowdell, 13-year-old Jack waits for his school friends to pick him up and take him to the movies.
“He wants to be included and have friends like everyone else. Today his friends invited him to the movies and that made his day,” Kimberly wrote.
In the clip, a shy but excited Jack is seen waiting on his front porch with an empty plastic popcorn bucket and a drink bottle.
“Jack, how excited are you?” Kimberly asks, before Jack smiles and gives her a thumbs up.
A Utah teenager with Down syndrome went viral after his friends at his inclusive school took him to the movies (all pictured)
Jack’s school friends then arrive, two teenage boys and a girl, with their mother, and give the stunned young man a warm welcome.
“What’s up, Jack?” one exclaims as he approaches for a high five. “What’s up, bro?”
After returning from the movie, Kimberly asks Jack how the outing went.
“It was good,” he smiled. “It was fun. I hung out with my friends.”
The heartwarming video has since racked up nearly 7 million views on TikTok and still counting.
“Those kids were well brought up. I’d write thank you notes to their parents,” one viewer commented.
“Those children are being raised the right way,” added another.
One mother wrote: “My son has epilepsy and cerebral palsy and I pray that he receives this kind of love. No one understands how scared you are as a person to trust someone else with your precious baby.”
In the clip, a shy but excited 13-year-old Jack is seen waiting on his porch for his friends.
Jack was beaming as he posed for a group photo with his friends on the front lawn.
Kimberly explained the emotional moment in more detail in the video’s title.
“Yesterday, Jack’s school friends called and asked if they could take him to the movies. Of course, I said YES!” she wrote.
“Jack was looking forward to their arrival and was so excited to see them. I love how they hug him and treat him like one of their own. They totally made his day!” she continued.
‘Make the invitation, make the effort: you will never regret the result and the good you will do for someone like Jack.’
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