Man With Down Syndrome Bullied Online Meets Gamer Friend Who Protected Him for First Time In Real Life

A man with Down syndrome whose best friend found him while gaming online and protected him from bullies couldn’t hide his excitement when they met in real life for the first time.

Steven Land, 27, from La Mirada, California, formed a bond with Andrew Mowery, 20, from Lexington, Kentucky, while playing PlayStation online.

Over time, Steven told his family about Andrew, and they discovered the lengths he’d gone to, to protect Steven – who finds it hard to pick up on social cues and insults – from bullies.

Andrew started to see Steven as a “brother,” and soon he was finishing his two jobs, which meant putting in an 80-hour work week, and then chatting to Steven every day.

With such a strong bond in place, Andrew started speaking to Steven’s family and expressed a desire to surprise Steven and meet in person.

On July 4th weekend, Andrew was planning to fly to Las Vegas to visit his father, and so he asked Steven’s family if the wheels could be put in motion.

Steven’s family arranged to be in the city, where they sat in a restaurant called Mama Bird and waited for Andrew to arrive from Kentucky.

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As Steven looked down at his phone, Andrew snuck up behind him, placing his hands on his best friend’s shoulders, which caused Steven to turn around.

At first, the 27-year-old took a second to realize what was happening, looking back at his phone, before double-taking and looking back at a smiling Andrew.

The pair then headed in for a long-awaited hug, which their families captured on video.

Videos of the moment were later shared on social media, with Andrew encouraging people to “be kind” through his post, explaining the backstory.

The posts received an outpouring of love from viewers, and over the months since, Steven has been asking every day when he can next see his best friend.

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Andrew said: “Seeing Steven’s reaction made me feel so happy – I have never seen him smile so much.

“It warmed my heart to see that man smile so happily.

“The moment he stood up and turned around and gave me a hug took my breath away, and it made me so happy to surprise him.

“I hope others take from the story of me and Steven meeting that you should always be kind to others no matter what and treat people how you want to be treated.

“I hope this changes so many people’s thoughts on how they think of others, especially people with special needs who cannot control it.”

Steven’s mom, Janell, added: “Seeing Steven’s reaction is indescribable.

“Andrew is like a brother to Steven – he is truly a good human.

“Steven was beyond happy, and that is all we strive to provide Steven: happiness.

“Steven did not have a clue he was meeting Andrew for the first time in person, so his reaction was so genuine and exactly what we thought it would be.”