A man with Down syndrome whose best friend found him while gaming online and protected him from bullies couldn't hide his excitement when they met in real life for the first time. Steven Land, 27, from La Mirada, California, formed a bond with Andrew Mowery, 20, from Lexington, Kentucky, while playing PlayStation online. Over time, Steven told his family about Andrew, and they discovered the lengths he’d gone to, to protect Steven – who finds it hard to pick up on social cues and insults – from bullies. Andrew started to see Steven as a “brother,” and soon he was finishing his two jobs, which meant putting in an 80-hour work week, and then chatting to Steven every day. With such a strong bond in place, Andrew started speaking to Steven’s family and expressed a desire to surprise Steven and meet in person. On July 4th weekend, Andrew was planning to fly to Las Vegas to visit his father, and so he asked Steven’s family if the wheels could be put in motion. Steven’s family arranged to be in the city on July 6, where they sat in a restaurant called Mama Bird and waited for Andrew to arrive from Kentucky.
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00These two best friends have never met in person, until today.
00:05Andrew met Steven online three years ago playing video games.
00:10They played together every day, called each other, and now...
00:17Not a day goes by that they don't talk.
00:20Even though Andrew works 80 hours a week, he always makes time to phone his best friend.
00:30Steven would always ask him when he was going to see him.
00:34So, Andrew flew from Kentucky to Nevada to surprise him.
00:45Steven has Down Syndrome and his family told us he gets bullied often, but Andrew always stands up for him.
00:52He told us he'll be his brother and best friend for life, and hopes others remember to always be kind.