Photos of a young autistic man taken over 20 years and merged with the present is winning hearts

Odin, a remarkable 20-year-old, has defied expectations after being diagnosed with autism as a young child and being given a grim prognosis. Despite the initial predictions that he would not survive into adulthood, Odin has thrived. His devoted parents, Tim and Deanda, have been his advocates, sharing his inspiring journey with the world. They have always strived to provide Odin with the best possible life, ensuring that his voice is heard.

Along his extraordinary path, Odin has had the opportunity to meet notable figures such as Tony Hawk and has embarked on travels around the globe. Through sharing Odin's story, his family aims to encourage and uplift other families who have children with special needs, inspiring them to maintain a positive outlook despite the challenges they may face.

"For us, we feel that people like Odin have been left out of conversations because of his disability," Tim told Yahoo Life. "The reality is he understands every single thing that's going on, his neurons just fire in a different pattern and he can't communicate the way he wants to. There's no disability that can stop Odin from seeing the world, and it's been really cool to see."

Recently the family shared side-by-side photos of themselves, posing in front of the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas in the same outfits and poses 20 years apart. "We wanted to showcase Odin's perseverance," Tim said. "We are a family that is always trying different things, whether it's a road trip from here to California or from here to San Antonio, but a lot of times it's very, very, very difficult even just to go to a grocery store."

He added, "We never know what will overwhelm Odin, but we also don't want to underestimate what he can do and what he's capable of. We always want to be his voice and advocate for him, and to let him see the world. Anything that he wants to see, we want to give him the opportunity to be able to see that."

Last year Odin graduated with his best friend Jordon and the photo of the two of them years apart had gone viral. The Frost family posted the sweet snap on Instagram saying, "We posted this pic and suddenly their joy and accomplishments spread to millions. This pic has now been seen over a billion times!!!??? In one of the scariest most anxious times of our life we took a leap of faith to live in the moment and celebrate these guys at graduation. We were scared of the safety and hadn’t been in any other building besides our home in months."

They added, "The outpouring of love and kindness, the friendships & community this post started was such a ripple to waves moment. Odin’s confidence soared to a level it has never been before and he has been excelling in so many parts of his life."