Gavin Ramsay is a 17-year-old high school student with autism who has learned to use his headphones to manage the everyday commotion he may encounter. One day, however, Gavin was rushing out of a class when he mistakenly left his headphones behind. Sadly, they were gone when he went back to retrieve them.
In an interview with CBC News in Manitoba, Canada, Joni-Lea Jessica Ramsay spoke about how worried she was for her son [1] after the incident. She explained that the headphones were an expensive pair given to him by his aunt. They were "a huge part of his life," said Joni-Lea. While his mom worried, Gavin had a mature response. "Whoever took them needed them more," he said.
Back at school, a teacher told students to keep a lookout for the missing headphones in question. Instead, several students raised money to gift Gavin with a brand-new pair for his birthday. Gavin described the gesture as being "truly humbling."
Upon finding out, Joni-Lea was overcome with emotion and gratitude. She said, "I think the biggest thing for Gavin was he really, really couldn't believe that kids did this for him. . . . This really made him feel like he was a part of something, a part of a group of caring people that really, really actually cared for him." Adding, "I'd like to thank all of these students and the teachers for making my son's world better again."