Heartwarming moment teen with Down Syndrome, 13, is taken to the movies with his school friends: ‘He wants to be included’
A Utah teenager with Down syndrome has melted the internet’s hearts 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 to take him to the movies.
“He wants to fit in and have friends just like everyone else. Today his friends invited him to the movies and it made his day!” Kimberly wrote.
The clip shows a shy but excited Jack waiting on his porch with an empty plastic popcorn bucket and a water bottle.
“Jack, how excited are you?” Kimberly asks, before Jack grins and gives her a thumbs up.
A Utah teen with Down syndrome has gone viral after his inclusive school friends took him to the movies (all pictured)
Then Jack’s school friends – two teenage boys and a girl – arrive with their mother and the bewildered boy is warmly welcomed.
“What’s up, Jack?” one calls out as he tries to give him 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 was hanging out with my friends.”
The heartwarming video has now been viewed nearly 7 million times on TikTok and the number of views is still growing.
“Those kids are well behaved. I wrote ‘thank you’ notes to their parents,” said one viewer.
“Those kids are being raised the right way,” added another.
One mother wrote, “My son has epilepsy and cerebral palsy and I pray that my son will have this kind of love. No one understands the fear you have as a person to trust others with your precious baby.”
The clip shows a shy but excited Jack, 13, waiting on his porch for his friends
Jack beamed as he posed for a group photo with his friends on the lawn
Kimberly further explains the touching moment in the video’s caption.
“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 so excited to see them and was so excited. I love how they embraced him and treated him like one of their own. It made his day!” she continued.
“Extend the invitation, do your best – you will never regret the outcome and the good it will do for someone like Jack.”