During a high school cross country race, Senior Axel Aleman was coming up on sophomore Levi LaGrange when he realized Levi had injured himself. Despite the clock running and fellow athletes zooming past, Axel stopped to make sure Levi was okay.
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As it turned out, Levi had rolled his ankle while running up a hill. He said, he “felt something go ‘pop,’ like it popped out of place real quick.”Axel could tell it really hurt, too, because Levi was limping as he struggled to finish the race. That’s when Axel decided he would run beside Levi until they both crossed the finish line.
Levi told Axel not to worry about him, and to keep running to finish the race, but Axel had no plans to do that. Instead, he put his hand on Levi’s back and helped push him along the rest of the race, promising to stay with him until the end.
When they came to the finish line, Axel even pushed Levi ahead so that he placed one spot ahead.
When asked about his decision to help Levi, and sacrifice his own race time to do it, Axel honestly didn’t think much of it. He said, “It just seemed like the right thing to do.â€
The gesture was not lost on Levi or his mom, Becky though. Becky said, “It takes a lot for an 18-year-old to give up his spot”and recognized that it “speaks to Axel’s character”as an athlete and person. Levi agreed, and said that he “admired”Axel for helping him along the way.
Axel’s stepmom, Nikki said she wasn’t at all surprised by his actions. She said, “he’s a really kind person and is always more concerned about others than himself.”
Still, Axel seems to shrug it all off, because to him, doing the right thing is the only option there is. In fact, as his story has circulated, he simply hopes that it inspires others to choose the right thing when they’re faced with any kind of option.
You can help spread Axel’s message by sharing this story with your friends.
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