Barack Obama praised a six-year-old boy from New York after he penned a letter to the President of the United States asking him to help offer a Syrian refugee a home with his family.
Last month, pictures of Omran, a young Syrian boy covered in dust and blood from a devastating air strike became a stark reminder and symbol of the suffering many are enduring under relentless bombardment.
The picture struck a chord with the world, and with six-year-old Alex from New York, who wrote a letter to President Obama asking him to bring Omran to his home.
“Dear President Obama, Remember the boy who was picked up by the ambulance in Syria? Can you please go get him and bring him to [my home]?” he wrote.
"Park in the driveway or on the street and we will be waiting for you guys with flags, flowers, and balloons. We will give him a family and he will be our brother.
"Catherine, my little sister, will be collecting butterflies and fireflies for him. In my school, I have a friend from Syria, Omar, and I will introduce him to Omar. We can all play together. We can invite him to birthday parties and he will teach us another language. We can teach him English too, just like my friend Aoto from Japan.
“Please tell him that his brother will be Alex who is a very kind boy, just like him. Since he won't bring toys and doesn't have toys Catherine will share her big blue stripy white bunny. And I will share my bike and I will teach him how to ride it. I will teach him additions and subtractions in math. And he [can] smell Catherine's lip gloss penguin which is green. She doesn't let anyone touch it. “
Our hearts are breaking and bursting in equal measure.
Obama shared Alex’s letter on Facebook, calling him a "child who has not learned to be cynical or suspicious or fearful of other people because of where they come from, how they look, or how they pray.” The post has since garnered over 120,000 likes.
President Obama is not the only one who is impressed. Facebook users took to the comment section to add: “A six year old who has more humanity, love, and understanding than most adults.”
Speaking to world leaders gathered at the United Nations Summit on Refugees this week, Obama quoted the letter, adding: “We should all be more like Alex. Imagine what the world would look like if we were. Imagine the suffering we could ease and the lives we could save.”
Is Alex not the cutest child ever? Did you shed a tear watching the video? Let us know what you think over on Facebook and Twitter (@CloserOnline).