Utah teen hits the movies with friends in heartwarming TikTok, moving millions


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SALT LAKE CITY — Kimberly Dowdell's 13-year-old son, Jack, made a positive impression in a big way this year. Jack has Down syndrome, and through it, he's reminding millions of people what true friendship looks like.

Dowdell shared a video on TikTok — a sweet moment of Jack waiting for friends to pick him up for the movies.

These kids are Jack's peer tutors at South Jordan Middle School. They asked his mom for permission to take Jack to the movies.

"Probably like every hour he was asking 'When (is) the movies, mom? When (is) the movies? When am I going to the movies?'" Dowdell said.

She said she's grateful his friends see him as an individual and look beyond his disabilities. So far, the video has over a million likes.

"I had no idea that when I shared this video it would touch so many hearts as it did," she said. "There's so many people who, gosh I'm going to get emotional, they're so many people who want this for their children."

Dowdell said she hopes Jack's experience gives other families hope that everything will be OK, and ultimately, their kids have so much potential.

Contributing: Mary Culbertson

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