This Power Lifting Marine Vet Has An Unlikely Best Friend

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Most days, it’s nice to have a pick-me-up — to remind us that the world isn’t a fundamentally terrible place. If this story doesn’t do it for you, you’re probably a lost cause.

Powerlifter David Douglas and his friend Lindsay have been making the internet smile as of late. Douglas, a Marine Corps veteran who weighs in at 330 pounds and measures up at 6 feet tall, met Lindsay at a powerlifting event last year. The two formed a fast bond and Douglas refers to her as his “little sis”. At age 4, Lindsay was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder known as Progeria. Progeria causes advanced aging in children, with symptoms including loss of hair and body fat as well as joint issues. It’s immensely uncommon, only affecting 1 in 4-8 million newborns.

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Sometimes fate works in strange ways, and after meeting, a powerlifter nicknamed “The Beast” and a little girl fighting for her life became best friends. Douglas talked about Lindsay extensively in a Happy Birthday Instagram post today. “This little girl changed my life in so many ways.” he said, going on to write, “I miss her and her family each day that passes.”

Douglas lives in California but regularly makes a point to travel to Detroit to visit Lindsay and her family. It’s tough to not smile when you see the pictures of these two together. Sometimes unlikely friendships make for the most special, and this is certainly one of those instances.

(Via Sun Sentinel)

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