Autistic Boy Receives Only One RSVP To Birthday So Football Players Arrive At Doorstep

Sep 07, 2021 by apost team

When you are a child, having a birthday party and inviting friends from school is a big deal. Nobody wants to feel unpopular so when the invites go ignored it can feel devastating to a young person. One young boy from Meridian, Idaho went through this experience when only one person agreed to attend his birthday party. 

Christian Larsen and his mother, Lindsay, planned a ninth birthday party for Christian so he could invite all of his friends. Christian has autism and attends a specialized program at school that keeps him separate from the general education students periodically. He sometimes has a hard time socializing with other children his age, so his mother was hopeful that his “friends” would agree to go to his party. Sadly, only one girl replied to the invitation.

Lindsay went onto her Facebook page to share the story with her peers, and one of her friends took action to make Christian’s party unforgettable. Blythe Ben-David contacted the Nampa High School football coach and family friend, Dan Holtry, and he extended an invitation to his players to attend Christian’s party. Several players agreed to attend right away.

Christian's party was on June 4, 2019, and there were a few kids in attendance including the one girl from school and some family friends as well. Christian was having a good time when suddenly some surprise guests arrived. The players entered the party chanting Christian’s name and the young boy was shocked and so pleased by their arrival. Keep reading to hear more about this unbelievable birthday party.

In her Facebook post, Lindsay wrote: “At first, I was just hoping that with the end of the year chaos, that the invitations were overlooked. But, after seeing the personal interactions, I'm thinking maybe there is more. The hardest thing is I do understand.”

Lindsay knows her son has differences from other kids his age, but she doesn’t think they should define him. She added, “I understand that behaviors and things that we're not used to can make us uncomfortable and make us shut down, but when you get to know someone that thing that was strange, that made you uncomfortable, that can become just a quirk and the quirk can become something special as you get to know them."

After the players showed up to surprise Christian, the party went from good to great. "The energy became electric and it was amazing to see how they all came together," Larsen wrote in an email to CNN. "Christian often plays alone, or wanders off, but with the players there helping organize games, he became part of the action. He was playing alongside his peers, as well as the football players. I think it helped the other young children interact with Christian too."

The players stayed for the entire party and even brought presents for the birthday boy. Christian’s mom said: "I know that Christian felt amazed and blessed by the turnout. He talked about it for days. One of the best things about his personality is that he is always looking for the positive. He didn't question why the players were there, he just loved it. He has said multiple times that it was the best birthday ever!”

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