MOUNT CARMEL, Pa. — Jake Espada loves to play the video game Fortnite just like many other 13 year olds.
But something that sets Jake apart from many other teens is his cerebral palsy. It can be hard for other players to understand Jake while playing Fortnite, where players communicate over headsets.
"Within like the first two minutes, they would leave once they realized his communication was not as typical as theirs. So, I would spend every day watching him be sad," Linda Espada said.
A few weeks ago, Jake's mother, Linda, got frustrated and posted a video on the social media platform TikTok.
"Teach your kids to give them a chance. Even if they don't sound like them, just give them a chance," Linda said.
The video went viral.
"Over four million people saw it, and I got thousands of messages," Linda said.
The Espada family lives in Sarasota, Florida. One message that stood out came all the way from Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania.
"I wanted to try and put myself out there and offer my platform to be a safe place for everyone to go," Tucker Fegley said.
Fegley is also an avid Fortnite player. He volunteered to host a gaming session for Jacob earlier this month.
"One of my friends over in Australia, funny enough, was keeping a list of all the kids who wanted to play and rotating them in. My other friends, including my brother, were monitoring the chat," Tucker said.
More than 1,500 people watched the game, and hundreds of people waited for their turn to play with Jake.
Tucker and Jake have become long-distance gaming buddies.
"Oh, yeah, Jake's a superstar," Tucker said.
Linda is happy she and her son crossed paths with Tucker.
"You can't teach that. I think it's something that just comes from the heart, and I think it's so genuine. I think it's so natural to just welcome anyone," Linda said.
It wasn't a one-time thing, either. The two friends now play Fortnite together once a week.