NEED TO KNOW
- TikToker Veronica Ochoa posted a sweet clip of her son Mark, who was born deaf, meeting a cheerleader on the sidelines of an Indianapolis Colts game
- Morgan McLain gave Mark a booklet featuring photos of her and her squad, and she surprised the young fan with her knowledge of American Sign Language
- After Ochoa posted the video on Oct. 6, McLain left a heartfelt comment to share her appreciation for the quick but meaningful interaction
Indianapolis Colts cheerleader Morgan McLain made one young football fan’s day when she began communicating with him in American Sign Language.
On Monday, Oct. 6, TikToker Veronica Ochoa posted a now-viral video of her son Mark, 8, who was born deaf, standing on the sidelines of an NFL game in a Colts jersey when he was approached by McLain. The cheerleader knelt down, handed him a photo booklet of her cheer team and began to sign to him, asking if he was “excited for the game.”
Once Ochoa pointed out her fluency to Mark, he became visibly excited and gestured his thanks. He also spelled out his name for McLain, who continued the conversation by introducing herself as well. “I know a little bit of sign,” she added, translating each word for Mark.
Ochoa then told the cheerleader that their family had just moved to the area, where Mark is enrolled in a school for deaf children. McLain asked Mark if he had been to a football game before, and upon learning it was his first time, she assured him, “It’s going to be so much fun.”
Mark’s mom spoke from behind the camera, “He gets excited when he sees other people signing.”
Their sweet, spontaneous interaction concluded with Mark unraveling the photo book to see the whole roster of cheerleaders, and together they found McLain’s photo amongst her fellow squad members.
In the video’s caption, the mom gave a special shoutout to McLain for demonstrating her ASL abilities with the pre-game greeting. “Thank you so much for taking out your time to come see Mark!” Ochoa wrote.
While she didn’t tag McLain directly, the Colts cheerleader found her way to the clip and left a comment to voice her gratitude. “Truly such a special moment that I will never forget!!” she wrote. “Glad I got to meet Mark and hope he had the best time at the game.”
Read the original article on People
