Some say that Canadians are a particular breed of nice, and in a case like this, it’s hard to disagree with them.
A photo of a stranger allowing a special needs man to hold his hand on a crowded bus was posted on a community Facebook page called “Only In Hamilton” with the following caption:
“I didn’t know if u can post this but I would liking to say thank you to the guy who was seating beside a special needs gentleman… He allowed him to hold his hand and find comfort well in a packed bus.. It make my day when I see stuff like that.”
22-year-old Godfrey Cuotto, who is a student at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, told the Huffington Post that he was headed home on the crowded bus when the man (named Robert, who is deaf and has cerebral palsy) asked for a handshake.
Cuotto says he was coming home from a burrito joint downtown when he entered a packed bus, and a man sitting near the front wanted to shake his hand. A little taken aback at first, the McMaster student says he then shook Robert’s hand.
“He kept holding my hand,” he told the Huffington Post Canada. “I thought I was getting pranked at first, but he just needed comfort.”
Over the 30-minute bus ride, Cuotto says the man held his hand, leaned on him, hugged him and also kissed his hands throughout the ride.
“I just allowed it, like what am I going to do?” Cuotto says. “Sometimes you just have to be selfless and put someone else’s needs above yours.”
He added later that Robert’s family sent him a message on Facebook, thanking them for accepting the gesture.
