Hamilton, Ontario’s Godfrey Coutto is now being applauded for being a Good Samaritan after he showed a stranger a random act of kindness.
Coutto, a 21-year-old student, was photographed holding the hand of a man with special needs in the middle of a crowded bus to comfort him. The photo was posted to the Facebook page “Only In Hamilton” and has been shared over 50,000 times.
Coutto said he initially believed the man was asking for a handshake; however, after taking Coutto ‘s hand, the man “held it tight” and “didn’t want to let it go.”
“I had to be selfless in that situation,” Coutto said. “He seemed like a happy guy, so I didn’t want to let him down.”
Coutto spent the entire 30-minute bus ride with Robert.
He held Coutoo’s hand, leaned on him, hugged him and kissed his hands as they sat together.
Two nieces and a sister-in-law of Robert messaged Coutto on Facebook after seeing the facebook post and thanked the student for being so kind to Robert.
Robert suffers from cerebral palsy and is also deaf.
“He had more problems than what I perceived at first,” Coutto said.
“I feel thrilled people are recognizing that I did such a good thing, but it’s not about the recognition. I don’t think I’m a role model or hero, I just hope that I’ve inspired people to do the same thing.”