Ellen Fan With Autism Gets Biggest Surprise From 2 Of His Heroes.

Ben Hartranft is a pretty busy guy. He’s not only on a mission to raise funds and awareness for autism but he does it in addition to working two jobs. But not so busy that he’d pass up the opportunity to meet one of his favorite people ever: Ellen DeGeneres!

Ellen leads him to believe he’s just there to talk with former Philadelphia Eagle Jon Dorenbos in a back stage room. That, in itself, would’ve made the entire trip to L.A. worth it because he’s a huge Eagles fan.

eagles autism challenge
Facebook

And as it so happens, he’s an ambassador for the Eagles Autism Challenge and has a $10,000 fundraising goal set for himself. Maybe if he talks to Jon right, he can convince him to donate…

But we all know our beloved Ellen loves nothing more than pranking her guests, which is exactly what happens! She pops up on a screen and before you know it, the two men are making their way on stage. Jon’s pretty happy about the whole thing, but Ben? Positively giddy!


YouTube

The 20-year-old is nearly bursting at the seams even before he lands on the couch and starts chattering away a mile a minute. Which just goes to show how far he’s come: When he was diagnosed with autism at age two, he could only speak 20 words. Just think how inspiring that must be to all the parents of autistic children who tuned in to this segment…

ellen john and ben
YouTube

“Having autism is not a bad thing, and it doesn’t characterize who we are,” Ben tells Ellen. “We are unique and special, just like a rainbow.”

And also just like a rainbow, Ben brings happiness and joy to anyone who’s lucky enough to interact with him. That’s a trait that will serve him well as a fundraiser, and one that Ellen just has to acknowledge with some sweet gifts!

Under the guise of a magic trick, Jon reaches into a “magic box” and pulls out two passes to Universal Studios, followed by some Eagle swag and a helmet that’s been signed by the entire team!

eagles memorabilia
YouTube

But Ellen has a real interesting way of saving the best for last. Remember that $10,000 fundraising goal we mentioned? We also mentioned Ben’s a real busy guy, and he’s been hard at work recently to reach that goal. But the moment Jon reaches into that magic box for the final surprise, Ben realizes he didn’t just meet it, he’s surpassed it!

ellen 10000 gift
YouTube

Check out Ben’s ecstatic reaction to all these fantastic surprises in the video below, and share to thank him for helping to raise awareness about autism!


Share your story & inspire the world.
If you have an uplifting story we would love to hear about it! Share it with us here.

Want to be happier in just 5 minutes a day? Sign up for Morning Smile and join over 455,000+ people who start each day with good news.