Lifelong friends hope to inspire others to reach out to kids with autism
Two high school seniors' unbreakable friendship is serving as an inspiration to others.
Trey Kruse first met Adam Potter when the two boys were in second grade. They told ABC News their strong bond "has never really slowed down."
"I don't really think it's that unusual," Kruse said of his friendship with Potter, who has autism. "I thought he was kind of funny, we talked during class, so I wanted to get to know him better."
"The relationship has never really slowed down," his father, Troy Kruse, said. "You know, it's really only become stronger."
Potter's mother, Lisa, said that something as simple as friendship has been life-changing in helping Adam form other meaningful relationships. Trey Kruse is also part of the school's wrestling team.
"Because of Trey's interaction with my son, he set in motion the ability for other kids to start forming relationships with my son. All of a sudden, Adam was coming home and calling all these people his friend," she said.
Both boys' parents hope that their friendship serves as an inspiration for others.
"Sometimes you have those moments where you see the kid who is by himself in the cafeteria," said David Potter, Adam's dad. "Maybe this will help people take that extra step to go up and say 'Hi.'"
As the longtime friends prepare to finish their final months as high schoolers, the reality of going off to college has started to sink in, but they still make time to see each other twice a day.
David Potter joked that he thinks his son "has this checkbox to say 'Hey, I saw Trey today, everything's gonna be fine after this."
