He has been feeding his disabled friend for over ten years. Then, they swapped roles for a day.

People can find friendship in the most unexpected of situations and circumstances. One can find a lifelong friend in a fellow passenger on an overnight train journey or in the case of Bradley Heaven (Brad), in his employed aide. A recent video posted by Brad and Dan’s page @allaccesslife on TikTok showcases Brad being fed by his aide and best friend of 10 years and how with the help of the Obi Robot- Assistive Tech, he was finally able to return the kindness and feed his friend. 

The video is beautifully created as a story and begins with Daniel O’Connor (Dan) feeding Brad and narrating, “I’ve been feeding Brad for over 10 years now.” He can be seen thinking to himself and saying, “I wonder if there would be a way for Brad to feed me?” He can then be seen taking his phone out of his pocket and “doing a bit of research,” which led to him discovering technology’s miracle. He says, “I discovered an eating assistive technology robot called Obi.” He describes Obi as a device that "was designed for individuals with upper extremity strength and mobility limitations.”

He then shared that he “requested a trial.” When the moment of reckoning arrived, Dan can be seen sitting and waiting for his turn to be fed by the robotic miracle that is controlled by Brad. Dan narrates, “For today’s meal, I got some general tao chicken, some chicken fried rice, some broccoli and some wonton soup.” He further explains how the Obi robot works: “Brad’s got two adaptive switches that come with Obi, that are located on his tray. The switch on the left rotates the arm and the switch on the right scoops the food and delivers it to my mouth.” Brad can be seen having the time of his life, knowing he can finally do what his friend has been doing for him for over a decade.

Dan can be seen rubbing his palms together to ready himself for the moment of truth. He continues the narration, “Brad decided to start me off here with some wonton soup.” Using a communication device, Brad narrates his emotions about the moment, “It was so awesome being able to feed Danny. I was on cloud nine.” As the video captured Dan being fed by Obi, he added, “We were both very impressed with how smooth and steady Obi was as it scooped the soup and didn’t spill any along the way.” The first slurp of the soup was perfect and Dan and Brad exchanged an agreeable look of joy about how awesome this was! Brad communicates, “Eat up” and Dan looks at him and erupts into a big laugh.

The video shows a jubilant Brad feeling “empowered” and fulfilled in that moment of Dan’s second bite. He further added, “Brad was feeling super empowered by the fact that he was able to use Obi to feed me and then he just kept on feeding me and feeding me and feeding me and feeding me until there was nothing left.” The two finally celebrated with applause and the video concluded with a promotional request for an Obi trial.

The comment section was all hearts and warmth. Some users cracked jokes as well about the two. @mr.ryu14 said, “The reverse card.” @christopherloomis3 commented, “That is cool! He looks so dang happy.”

The video was also shared on Reddit by u/dannyoc34 and the comment section there roared with love. u/killerpythonz said, “What a great friendship. They both seem so happy about this achievement, and good on them.” u/PugGrumbles said, “I truly love when you post, you guys have such a special friendship and we can all only hope for something like that in our lifetimes.” 

Brad and Dan’s friendship is giving new goals and hopes for those looking to bond. What started as an employer and employee-relationship has now turned into a lifetime friendship between the two, which really is nothing short of pure and soulful beauty.