A sudden act of kindness from a young London, Ont., boy during a championship race is spreading through southwestern Ontario. Jackson McClymont and Mathias Oke crossed the finish line together at the Thames Valley District School Board cross-country finals, only after Jackson came to Mathias’ aid halfway through the race. Jackson had been on pace for a strong finish. “I thought I could get bragging rights or something, maybe I could get a medal!” recalled Jackson. But as he prepared to sprint, he noticed Mathias, a student at Turtle Island Public School in Woodstock, was struggling. “He was breathing really hard,” he noticed. While Jackson was not aware that Mathias battles asthma, he could see the boy he had never met before needed a friend. It is a moment Mathias won’t soon forget. “And then as I’m going up the hill, I see a hand push me to go farther ahead,” Mathias recalled. The pair continued the race side-by-side, with Mathias listening to words of encouragement from Jackson. “[He kept saying], ‘You got to keep pushing, you’re almost there!’” said Mathias. At the finish line, Jackson decided to take a step back, “I just said, you know, maybe this guy wanted to finish better than he did, so I’m just going to let him go in front of me.” The moment was captured by Matthias’ mother, Renee. She contacted Jackson’s school, Ashley Oaks in London. His teacher, Ericka Deakin, was among the staff impressed. Recognition from the school and Mathias’ family followed. Jackson’s grandmother, Michelle, said he never told her about his act. She learned about it from his school. “He just did this, and he didn’t go on about it to anybody, and I’m super proud of him!” she said. Renee said she is grateful for Jackson’s kindness and her own son’s unprompted appreciation, calling it a moment we can all learn from. “In this day and age where everything is so dark and so heavy, there are kind people, kind kids, kind adults. The people that raised Jackson should be so proud of themselves.” During the CTV News interview, the boys learned they share several common interests and told us they intend to become — and stay — friends.
