High school quarterback fulfills 4th-grade pact, takes friend with Down syndrome to prom

As people grow up, childhood promises often fade into distant memories. But Ben Moser wasn’t one to forget. Years after making a prom pact with his grade-school friend Mary Lapkowicz, who has Down syndrome, Ben surprised her in the most heartwarming way: he kept his promise and took her to prom.

Mary's brother, Tom, reflected on their special friendship in a 2015 Facebook post. "A lot of grade-school-aged kids may have stayed away from my sister Mary or thought she was weird because she has Down syndrome. But not Ben," he wrote. Ben’s kindness and inclusion weren’t limited to a single moment—his mom, Lisa, told BuzzFeed News that Ben was always looking out for Mary during their three years together in elementary school. "Ben was the energetic kid in class who always made sure Mary was included in every activity," Lisa shared.

Unfortunately, the duo parted ways and went to separate Pennsylvanian high schools but reconnected when both of their schools competed against one another in a football match, per the reports of Patriot-News. Ben had not forgotten his promise to Mary from fourth grade. He had given his word that one day he will take Mary to the prom and so, he decided to surprise her with a beautiful proposal to become her prom date.

Ben's mom even documented the memorable moment over a Facebook post where she posted a series of pictures featuring Ben and Mary with the caption: "Today was probably the proudest I have ever been of my son in his lifetime to date! He has grown into a man with a big heart, a deep sense of putting others first, and most of all making people feel special and loved. Today with joyful tears in my eyes and down my face I watched a promise made, 7 years ago, to a beautiful girl fulfilled."

Mary had reportedly only been looking forward to attending prom with a bunch of friends. Little did she expect her childhood buddy to turn up with shiny balloons to ask her out for prom. So, Mary and Ben dressed up for the prom event at Central Dauphin High School where Mary studied and even their fourth-grade teacher Tracey Spogli attended to support her former pupils.

"Ben would always keep an eye out for Mary, making sure she was smiling and happy," she told TODAY. "I referred to Mary as 'Little Mary Sunshine' because she was the sunshine in our classroom. The entire experience of that fourth-grade year was a very positive learning experience for the entire classroom and I am so proud to have been part of it!"

The comment section of Lisa's Facebook post overflowed with compassionate notes and well-wishes for the duo. Cathy Overton wrote, "I wish everyone could have experienced the truly heartwarming affection between Mary and Ben Moser. This is one of those special days that I will never forget."

Tracy Folks commented, "Lisa, your son sounds like a very special young man! May he go very far in life!" Ben's mother added that despite getting a lot of media attention, Ben has not been reading a whole lot of them, though he wishes for singer Nick Jonas to contact Mary someday since he is her favorite musician.

This article originally appeared 1 year ago.