This is the adorable moment a teenager invites a 3-year-old boy who was born with no legs to join in his game of catch with his dad.
Toddler Oliver Buckingham finds it hard to play with other children his own age, so his mother, Brooke, 24, was overjoyed when a stranger offered for him to join in.
Oliver was born without legs, is nonverbal, and also is hard of hearing in one ear, which makes it hard to communicate. He was born at 36 weeks, weighing 5 pounds 7 ounces (2.46 kg) but only had a 19-day NICU stay after having surgery the day he was born.
At only 10 months old, Oliver started rolling over and scooting around by himself and has been growing in strength ever since.
“Oliver is such a warrior!” Brooke, from Mesa, Arizona, said. “Now he can still get around extremely well on the ground, and he’s fantastic at driving his wheelchair that he received just before he turned 2.”
The courageous tot, his mother said, can do handstands, flips, hold himself like a plank, and transfer to and from surfaces with his chair.
“He’s so amazing,” the mom of two said. “He truly does not allow anything to slow him down.”
The toddler also enjoys playing at the Mesa Riverview playground, visiting the place at least once a week.
“Because he can’t really talk, it makes it pretty hard for him to interact with kids his age,” Brooke explained. “I think he is definitely starting to notice the stares though, and kids just don’t have a filter.”
However, the incredibly supportive parents do their best to educate, despite the age, that people do indeed look different.
On Dec. 30, 2021, Oliver, whom his mom describes as incredibly social and curious, wandered over to a teenage boy playing catch with his dad, as he loves to play basketball with his own dad, Jacob, 25, at home.
He sat down to watch, when the teenage boy stopped throwing the football and went down to Oliver’s level, offering the football to ask him if he wanted to play too.
“Oliver was so excited!” said Brooke. “Every time the teen threw the ball back to his dad, Oliver mimicked him.”
They continued their game for another five minutes before saying goodbye—but it was enough to make Oliver’s whole day.
“He was actually bummed when they had to leave!” stay-at-home mom Brooke said. “The teen never did ask me why Oliver doesn’t have legs or anything really.”
“In that moment, Oliver was just a kid, that’s how it should be!” she added. “Our family just wants to thank this teen for being so wonderful.”
Brooke and Jacob didn’t manage to get the stranger’s information, but the mom hoped that, by posting the video on TikTok, she may find him.
The clip went viral, garnering thousands of likes.
“We are just so thankful for families like this who teach their kids about inclusion and diversity,” Brooke said. “I also want to just encourage others to just be kind!”
