BALTIMORE — What started arsenic a tiny enactment successful Baltimore has turned into inspiration for radical astir the world.
In betwixt showings successful Federal Hill Sunday, realtor Alyssia Essig parked astatine the Museum of Industry to devour lunch.
It’s wherever 19-year-old Asen Gyenyame was practicing a pugnacious skateboard trick.
“I astir apt sat determination for a coagulated 20 minutes watching him proceed to try,” said Essig. “I cognize the powerfulness of being told that idiosyncratic believes successful you, truthful I conscionable thought I’m gonna hop retired of the car existent quick, springiness him a small love, and past beryllium connected my way.”
And that’s what she did, unknowingly connected camera.
“Whatever you bash successful your life, you’re going to sound it retired of the park. Only due to the fact that you’re sitting here, busting your (expletive) to nail this 1 trick. You’ll bash that the remainder of your life,” Essig told him.
“I didn’t expect what she gave me,” said Gyenyame.
He was inspired. Minutes later, helium nailed the trick. The adjacent day, helium decided to post the enactment connected TikTok.
“It got a batch of traction,” said Gyenyame.
In conscionable a fewer days, it has captured the hearts of millions of people.
“I deliberation we made the satellite a small amended conscionable due to the fact that of it,” said Gyenyame.
But Essig had nary idea… until her husbands’ person successful California saw it connected Reddit.
“I was crying speechmaking these comments due to the fact that it seems similar radical are truthful starved for emotion and attraction and affection, “said Essig.
They hadn’t adjacent exchanged names.
Scripps Baltimore presumption WMAR’s Abby Isaacs recovered them some connected societal media. It brought them unneurotic for a heartfelt reunion Thursday astatine the spot they met, the Museum of Industry parking lot.
“I emotion your energy, truthful convey you truthful overmuch for giving maine that support,” said Gyenyame to Essig.
What they gave the satellite arsenic inspiration, but they got thing retired of it too.
For Gyenyame, it was supporting.
“We tin enactment each other, and everyone doesn’t person to basal unsocial and beryllium by themselves. A batch of radical person the mindset, adjacent I do. That’s wherefore I was skating alone, that you person to bash it by yourself and that’s the lone way, but you tin scope retired to different people, and it tin beryllium beneficial for the different person,” said Gyenyame.
For Essig, it was affirmation.
“I person a precise large big personality, and I struggle. Not everyone likes that. A batch of radical deliberation it’s excessively overmuch oregon excessively large oregon excessively successful your face, but erstwhile a cardinal radical similar it and 30,000 comments are like, ‘You’re amazing.’ ‘Your vigor is 'awesome,' it’s precise reaffirming similar you cognize what nary I’m really beauteous good and I tin beryllium who I am,” said Essig.
The brace person vowed to enactment connected and transportation positivity into their mundane lives.
Essig wants to commencement sharing words of encouragement connected her TikTok leafage @alyssiaessig_realtor, and Gyenyame hopes his newfound pursuing connected TikTok @skatevibes01 volition assistance crook his passionateness into a concern wherever helium teaches kids however to skateboard.
Abby Isaacs astatine WMAR archetypal reported this story.