"You would never know that she was fighting something so hard because she is always smiling or giving some type of sarcastic answer to make you laugh."RELATED: 2 Little Girls With Rapid Aging Disease Get A Miracle Though many view tiny, delicate Lindsay and her huge, hulking buddy, "The Beast," to be an odd pair, God brought these two together in a beautiful way. Credit: Facebook They first met at Relentless, an annual powerlifting event sponsored by HopeKids to help raise money for the families of children with rare diseases. Their mission is to build relationships, change lives and to serve God by uniting strong men and women with even stronger children. [rsnippet id="3"] David, a resident of California, was feeling down on his luck when a friend suggested he participate as one of the weight lifters in the charity event held in Detroit. After explaining that the day was really all about making these special kids feel like superstars, David couldn't say yes fast enough. It blessed him with just the type of purpose he was struggling to find in his life. Credit: Facebook Shortly before the big day, David's friend contacted him again, letting him know that one of the sponsored families and their little girl wanted to meet him. The news left David grinning from ear to ear, and once he met Lindsay and her parents, he was forever changed.
"Lindsay became my lil sis since day one," David explains. "I knew she meant something to me, but after everything that has happened, there is [sic] no words to describe how I feel about her. She has pulled me out of rough spots just by thinking of her. That is a priceless gift. That is why I made it my duty to help her out in any way that I can."Credit: Facebook The two have been incredible friends ever since, despite the geographic distance that separates them. RELATED: A 17-year-old with rare aging disease will inspire you David flew out to Detroit to surprise Lindsay at the 2014 Miles for Miracles Walk, a fundraising event for the Progeria Research Foundation which the little girl and her family worked hard to support. David tricked Lindsay and her family into believing he was unable to make the event. And when he arrived, the sweet girl's reaction was absolutely heart melting. . .not just for us, but for David as well!
"I will forever remember that moment and that feeling seeing her run to me and smile," he said.
"That had me broken down,” David said. “To be going through what she is going through and still make that big of an effort to lift someone else’s spirits blew me away. I will never forget that moment.”
"I got a picture from a friend that took a picture of us and i felt very strongly about it so i wanted to get the point across on how i felt about it and her. People looked at me as strong when everything about her was stronger. Instead of putting those words off to the side, i decided to put it right on me to make the point even louder. You have to look at the big picture of it."
"Though she be but little, she is fierce."What the world sees as an unlikely pair, God sees as a beautiful friendship to which He gave a special purpose. It's brought awareness to progeria, as well as to the brave, little warriors like Lindsay who are fighting it and the organizations out there dedicated to supporting the search for a cure.
"Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7
