In “Noah” by Jacob McCoy, I really appreciated how the author spoke about his teammate Noah. My brother is autistic, and in his school I hope someone thinks of him the way Jacob saw Noah. Although Jacob didn’t realize the value of Noah’s friendship right away, he never treated Noah with unkindness because he was different.

This story made my heart ache. “At that moment I realized my ‘friendship’ meant more to Noah than I thought,” Jacob wrote. Autism is difficult enough without verbal abuse from peers, and Noah saw his escape in Jacob, whom he declared his friend.

Thank you, Jacob, for talking about Noah in a caring way and remembering him in such a good light.