School Teacher Carries Differently Abled Child On His Back To Ensure She Does Not Miss Out On Class Trip #WATWB

Ryan Neighbor suffers from spina bifida, a condition of the spinal cord that has left her unable to walk since birth and hence dependent on a wheelchair. The 10 year old attends school at Tully Elementary and is in fourth grade.

Image Source: Team Ryan

When the class was preparing for a field trip to the Falls of Ohio State Park a week ago, Ryan was naturally sad not to be able to go with her friends but accepted that it came under the list of things that were not possible for her in this lifetime because of her condition. Even her mother Shelly knew this and so began planning for alternate things to keep Ryan busy on that day.

Fortunately for Ryan, her elementary school teacher Jim Freeman was one of those people who had skipped class on the day they were teaching the meaning of the word 'impossible.' Jim contacted Ryan's mother and told her that to help Ryan join her classmates, he was ready to carry her on his back for the entire trip!

And he did!

Image Source: Team Ryan

Image Source: Team Ryan

Jim Freeman used a special backpack to carry Ryan Neighbor, who weighs 25 kilos, on his back throughout the field trip across the Ohio State Park.

We are sooooo blessed to have an ENTIRE school that is so compassionate and empathetic and NEVER make her feel left out ❤️""

 - Shelly King, Ryan's mother

Authors note:

I have been tracking lovely human beings from across the world for years now and have found children as young as six years old and old women in their eighties who will restore your faith in humanity.

Want more stories of compassion to brighten up your day? Hundreds of 'Heroes of Kindness' can be found here:

Heroes of Kindness - 2017 edition
Heroes of Kindness - 2018 edition
Heroes of Kindness - 2019 edition
Heroes of Kindness - Indian edition

This post is part of the We Are the World Blogfest, a monthly event to showcase stories of compassion. The idea is to spread positivity and light to counterbalance the negativity and darkness in social media. You can check their pages to find the list of feel-good stories written by bloggers from around the world.

Your cohosts for this month are Sylvia Stein, Eric Lahti, Shilpa Garg, and Lizbeth Hartz. 

I am taking my blog to the next level with Blogchatter’s #MyFriendAlexa.