David 'The Beast' Douglas is a weightlifter and Marine Corps veteran. Despite this however, he's a humble man and believes his strength is nothing compared to his 12-year-old friend, Lindsay's.
Little Lindsay from Michigan suffers from a rare disease called Progeria that causes her to age 8-10 times faster than a normal person.
A photo of the two walking hand in hand at an event in 2014 expresses David's unshakable respect for Lindsay and her spirit.
In the photo, you can see the word 'strong' written on the back of David's t-shirt - but underneath that is the word 'stronger' with an arrow pointing to his left, where little Lindsay stands.
"People looked at me as strong when everything about her was stronger. Instead of putting those words to the side, I decided to put it right on me to make the point even louder," David wrote on Facebook recently, alongside the touching image.
The adorable pair first met an event called Relentless sponsored by HopeKids, an organisation that pairs body builders with children fighting diseases.
Since then, David - who calls Lindsay his 'little sis' - has regularly shared heartfelt sentiments about Lindsay on social media, and recently posted new photos of the pair, with the caption:
“Every time I look at this picture of me and little Lindsay meeting for the first time at Relentless years ago, a rush of emotions come back. This little girl changed my life in so many ways … I miss her and her family each day that passes before we soon will see each other again. Happy birthday little sis!”
Lindsay’s parents know how special the friendship is, too.
With just a few days notice, they traveled from Michigan to California so Lindsay could surprise Douglas before he had surgery.
David has become a fundraising advocate for Progeria research since becoming friends with Lindsay.
"Anything and everything will be going towards our next generation of kids fighting a hard fight," David wrote.
David recently uploaded a video to YouTube of himself surprising little Lindsay at a charity walk that she and her family do annually.
But be warned: it's heartwarming...so much so you'll need the tissues!
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