Acts of Kindness
Against all odds best friends with a 2% survival diagnosis live to graduate together
These boys are absolutely incredible.
Ashley Fike
07.29.20

Where there’s a will, there’s a way. This is a saying that really hits home for best friends Odin Frost and Jordon Granberry.

Jordon and Odin’s parents received grim information when their sons were born. The heartbroken parents were told that their children would most likely never walk, be in a vegetative state, and, sadly, never see the age of 18 – if they made it past their toddler years at all.

Amazingly, 18 years later, not only are the boys thriving, but they’re still best friends and they just graduated high school together. They’ve beaten the odds and are proving that anything is possible.

One of the boys’ fathers recently took to Reddit and shared an incredible side-by-side photo of Jordon and Odin on their first day of school – and their graduation day.

The besties met each other when they were just 3 years old on their first day of preschool. The pair are adorably sharing a mini reclining chair together – and it was at this point, that they were already defying their 2% survival rate odds.

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Reddit

Fast forward to July of 2020, Jordon and Odin just graduated high school and it seemed fitting for them to recreate the photo taken 15 years ago – the shots are nearly identical and, to no surprise, the photos went viral.

Tim, Odin’s dad, spoke with a local news outlet about their accomplishments:

“My son and his best friend were both told their survival rate would be around 2%, that they’d never walk, and that they’d live in a vegetative state—if they made it past seven years. Both walked the stage and graduated. I was on cloud 19. I was so fricking proud of him.”

While Odin was in the womb, his mom, Deanda, experienced preeclampsia – he was born 3 weeks early and had bleeding on the brain.

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Doctors weren’t entirely sure of Odin’s diagnosis, but Tim and Deanda were told that he would never walk or talk and his cognitive abilities would never be more than that of a 7-year-old.

“Everyone was saying ‘be prepared’ and that he was going to stay in the little kid stage for most of his life,” Tim said.

However, after joining a school for special needs children at 3-years-old, Odin met Jordon and the course of their lives would forever change. Jordon was born with a blood infection and his brain had been deprived of oxygen, which caused permanent brain damage. Supporting each other the entire way through, the pair miraculously made it to graduation day.

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Tim went on to elaborate about the boys’ special bond they have together.

“They are fiercely loyal and protective of each other. If someone comes too close to Jordon, and they don’t like the vibe, Odin will go into protective mode. Odin will laugh and Jordon will laugh too—it has always been that way. They have a special connection that I don’t know if the outside world would know what was going on.”

As for the boys’ abilities now, they might be more restricted than able-bodied people, but that certainly doesn’t stop them.

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Odin began walking when he was 5-years-old but uses a wheelchair daily to assist him. Jordon amazingly just took his first steps right before graduation! Tim and Deanda, along with Jordon’s parents, Donna and Damon, could not be more proud of how far their sons have come.

After sharing the touching side-by-side photos on Reddit, Tim was prepared for the rude and ignorant comments to start rolling in – but it couldn’t have been the opposite.

“We’re more used to people being mean than being kind,” Tim told the media. “People stare in public and kids make fun and the internet is usually one of the most horrible places. I was getting ready to defend him, but it has just been kindness. My wife and I just lay there in bed reading the comments, and we were crying at how beautiful it is,” he said.

“We just want our kids to be seen, and seen for the beautiful humans they are, and seen for their accomplishments.”

Well, we know one thing for sure – we certainly think Jordon and Odin are beautiful, incredible, and inspiring! What do you think?

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

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