Anyone who flies on a plane knows that sometimes it can be a stressful experience.
7-year-old Landon Bjornson recently flew alone to Portland for his first visit to his father, and although he was excited by the experience, his mother was very stressed.
And it certainly didn’t help her nerves when she got a message from the person sitting next to her autistic son.
“I felt anxious and Landon was very excited to visit his father and cousins”, said Alexa, his mother. “It was his fifth or sixth flight so he knew what to do and how to behave, and I just made sure he would ‘annoy’ someone sitting next to him”.
In preparation for Landon’s flight, Alexa gave him a letter that he should give to the man sitting next to him.
“I simply could not think of another way to get the message across than to write a letter with an explanation and an incentive to be nice and gentle to my son”.
She explained that it was very possible that Landon would ask, ‘Have we arrived yet?’ Several times, and she also included $10 bill inside the letter.
Apparently Alexa had nothing to worry about. The man sitting next to Landon was delighted to sit by his side.
“We told jokes, and after a while he asked me to stop with ‘the father’s jokes'”, said Ben Pedroza, the person who had been sitting next to Landon.
At the end of the flight Ben photographed both of them and sent the picture to Alexa so that she would know that everything went smoothly. He also wrote that he had donated the $10 bill she had attached to the letter to the Autism Society of America, in Landon’s name.
My name is Ben, I sat next to Landon on a flight to Portland. He did really ask if we arrived a few times, but he was a great friend for the flight. We had fun together and played several rounds of paper and scissors. He is a great boy and you are a lucky mother. Thanks for the $10, but it was not necessary. I donated them in Ben’s name. Have a nice day!”
“I was very relieved when I received Ben’s message, and I was very moved and cried only to see the humanity and love that still exist in the world”, Alexa said.
She shared a screenshot of Ben’s message and it became viral.