Mom receives heartwarming text from autistic son's co-passenger on his first solo flight

It's hard to know whom to trust with your children these days. With the kind of disturbing child abuse reports that pop up every single day, parents feel the urge to put their kids in bubble wrap cocoons and protect them from any kind of harm that might befall them. So imagine the absolute nervous state Alexa Bjornson must've been in when her 7-year-old son Landon, who is autistic, was flying from Las Vegas to Portland all by himself. What kind of people would he meet on the way? Would those near him be kind and empathetic towards him or would they be mean to him?

Since Alexa couldn't make the trip with her son, she did everything in her power to make sure Landon would be safe and comfortable during his trip. Speaking on the Tamron Hall Show, she explained, "Usually when people hear autism or something of that sort, they think incapable. He's actually a lot more capable of things and we know. He just wanted to see his dad for the summer and money was tight for us... So, I couldn't afford it. We asked him what he wanted to do and we talked to his dad and we took all the extra precautions."

"You pay a fee, he'll be supervised by a stewardess the whole time and we had to bring him to the gate and have him picked up from the gate, so we knew he'd be safe. We knew he'd be just fine. He's a brave boy," added Alexa. However, she was still concerned about who Landon would be sitting next to and to make sure that her son's co-passenger would be aware of his needs, she wrote a note for the unknown individual.

Posting about the incident on Facebook, Alexa wrote: Today my son took his first flight to Oregon to see his dad. I sent Landon with a letter to give to whoever sat next to me saying he has high functioning autism so he might be nervous and ask you 'are we there yet' a lot, and please just make him feel safe and comfortable, with 10 dollars in the note. And this is what I just received ❤❤❤ I am so grateful to this individual, and that there are still kind people in the world who make a difference like I try myself to do as well. Thank you so much, Ben!!!!

According to TODAY, about 20 minutes after Landon's flight landed, Alexa received a text from an unknown number updating her about her son's journey. "I was Landon’s seat neighbor for his flight to Portland. He did ask if we were there yet several times but he was a great travel buddy. We had a good time and played a few rounds of rock-paper-scissors. He’s a great kid and you’re a lucky mom. I appreciate the $10 but it wasn’t necessary. I donated to Autism-Society.org in honor of Landon," read the text, that also included a picture of Landon and his co-passenger Ben.

The 28-year-old mother was incredibly moved by the man's kind gesture. "I want to thank Ben all over again. He is amazing. It is a very humbling experience and I just hope that it raises awareness that if you see children having a hard time — or not — that just a kind gesture can change the outlook in their lives," she said. Alexa revealed that while Landon feels comfortable on a plane, he tends to easily get distracted and does not make eye contact sometimes, which tends to unsettle a lot of neurotypical people. 

"I know my son. I knew whoever sat next to him would (hear) 'Are we there yet?' a bunch of times. He is very loving and sharing. He was going to ask if you want to work on my activity book and play games. I just knew he was going to be anxious and impatient like every other kid on a plane," she said. As for the $10 she'd attached to the letter, Alexa—a server and bartender—said, "To me, it just felt like that’s why I am supposed to do as a mom. I was just hoping it would help him feel comfortable and safe and to be who he is."