2-Year-Old and 99-Year-Old Form Unlikely Friendship During Covid Through a Backyard Fence

It was difficult to form new friendships when the pandemic hit and lockdowns started. Many people found themselves at home more than ever before, and that didn’t make it easy to meet new people or even maintain current friendships. Yet, it was entirely possible.

In Minneapolis, two next door neighbors ended up becoming best friends. For one, it was his very first best friend, and he doesn’t really have any other friends. For the other, it may be her last best friend, and this friendship is helping her want to live as long as possible. You see, the friendship is between a 2-year-old boy named Benjamin Olson and a 99-year-old woman named Mary O’Neill.

Although there is a fence separating the backyards between the two homes, the fence is actually what brought them together. The unlikely pair found ways to play together across the fence, and O’Neill even gave Olson some toys that used to belong to her children.

Before O’Neill met Olson, she used to sit inside by herself playing Yahtzee. She is a widow. Her husband passed away 37 years ago, and her son also passed away. Her daughter lives nearby and visits once a week, but that was really the only social interaction O’Neill got on a regular basis.

After the friendship with Olson formed, she would go outside to play with Olson every chance she got. They would play across the fence, and now that Covid restrictions have relaxed, they play on the same side of the fence.

Watch the video below to learn more about this unlikely friendship that is very sweet and inspiring.

Do you think this unlikely friendship is inspiring? Have you ever formed a friendship with someone who was decades apart from your age? Did you form any new friendships during or perhaps because of the Covid-19 pandemic?