The road to social acceptance wasn't easy for Mary Lapkowicz, who was born with Down syndrome. Kids at school tended to exclude Mary from the start. But in second grade, she met a boy named Ben Moser who changed everything.
One day while playing soccer with their class, Ben realized Mary wasn't being included. He stopped the entire game and told his classmates that Mary needed to score. The pair became fast friends and Ben began to take on a big brother role. "He watched over her constantly," their teacher said. "If she was looking like she wasn't having fun, he would go over and talk to her. He would pull her in to what ever activity they were doing."
In fourth grade, Ben promised Mary that he would someday take her to prom. Mary was elated, but as time passed she put it in the back of her mind. By middle school, Mary transferred to a different school district and she and Ben drifted apart.
Come high school, Mary would often talk about prom, despite the fact she didn't have a date. Her dad took her to homecoming once, but it always seemed like prom was the event she anticipated the most. Meanwhile, Mary became the equipment manager for her school's football team. Ben, on the other hand, was the star quarterback at his school.
The two opposing teams were scheduled to play each other — and it ended up reuniting the old friends in a way Mary and her family never saw coming.
