6-year-old Peyton had dreams of skateboarding, but had thought that it was just for boys, said the girl’s mother, Jeanean Thomas, according to Buzzfeed.
When Jeanean took her daughter to a skate park, which was full of teenage boys, she thought the experience would be discouraging, but it wasn’t — thanks to one of the teenagers.
“Your feet are wrong. Can I help you?" the teenager asked Peyton when he watched her fall, according to the news outlet cbc.ca.
By the time the mother and daughter left an hour later, Peyton was able to ride up and down ramps due to the help of the young man. Touched by the stranger’s help, Jeanean decided to write a thank-you letter, which has now gone viral.
"I want you to know that I am proud that you are part of my community, and I want to thank you for being kind to my daughter, even though your friends made fun of you for it," Thomas wrote.
"She left the skate park with a sense of pride and with the confidence that she can do anything, because of you."
The stranger is actually 20-year-old Ryan Carney, who was reportedly shocked that his good deed is receiving attention.
“If that was me and I didn't know how to skateboard at all, I wouldn't have much [fun] just falling on my butt. I would want someone to help me who knew how to skateboard. That's all I did," he said in a phone interview from the indoor park and skateboard shop.
“I just seen a little girl struggling to enjoy her time there and encourage her to skate more, instead of being discouraged and leaving — either because she was scared of older kids or scared to fall. I wanted to see her leaving wanting to skateboard again."
Carney’s hope has become a reality, as Peyton reportedly skateboards all the time now.