ET spoke with the pro skateboarder via Zoom this week, along with his new pal, 6-year-old Cooper.
Tony Hawk is opening up about his newfound friendship with Cooper Morgan, a 6-year-old fan from Suwanee, Georgia.
The pro skateboarder has been making headlines this month for a heartwarming story that is bringing so many people joy amid the coronavirus pandemic. It all started when a FedEx driver named Mikail Farrar took to TikTok to share a recent encounter he had with Morgan.
Farrar said that the young boy was flagging him down, and asked if he knew Hawk. Morgan then gave Farrar his skateboard, which had "Tony Hawk" written in black Sharpie marker. "Get this to Tony Hawk for me!" the excited boy exclaimed.
The video quickly went viral, and it wasn't long before Hawk got word of Morgan's request.
"I started getting a lot of comments on social media, texts from close friends and emails from distant friends, and there was no way to avoid it. I have a TikTok account but I haven't used it in a while so it was really cool to step back in," Hawk explained. "I was honored that Cooper would be so inspired by me that he would want me to have his old skateboard."
Hawk then commented on Farrar's video, writing, "Tell Cooper I got him!!! And I'll trade him for a new board." He also shared two videos to his own TikTok page which showed him autographing one of his own skateboards that he was planning to send out to Morgan.
"Honestly, it was Mikail. He's the reason that it happened, because he felt so moved by it and put it out there to basically find me," Hawk said, of how the gift exchange all came to be. "He was the glue, the catalyst that made it happen. And I got to actually speak with Cooper and his brother, Tucker, this morning. It's been really cool to connect, and they had a lot of questions for me."
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Now, Hawk's skateboard is happily at its new home in Georgia, with an incredibly grateful Morgan. The 6-year-old told ET that getting to speak with Hawk via Zoom this week was an extra treat!
"He is the best skater in the whole universe," he gushed, adding that he's been a fan of Hawk's since he was a baby. "I want a skateshop when I grow up!"
Morgan's mother, Sarah, told ET that her son chatted with Hawk for about 45 minutes. "He took some time and really engaged with him and his brothers," she shared. "They talked to him about all the things. It was crazy, it was awesome."
"It's so surreal, I can’t wrap my mind around it," she continued. "It was so unexpected and amazing. I heard Tony was a great guy, but now that’s just the understatement of the century."
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Overall, Hawk said that the entire experience was "really fun" for everyone, and a great example of how social media can be used in a positive way.
"It's a sign of the times, in terms of how quickly social media is, and how much reach it has," he explained. "And just the idea that this is something that gives people hope. There's so much chaos right now, and so much uncertainty, and this seems like it was something that brought people together."
Luckily, we all have TikTok and Farrar to thank for that!
"I've had that delivery route for two and a half years, and I'm in that neighborhood every day. I was driving past his house and I'm just glad that I wasn't listening to music because I wouldn't have heard him with his soft, little voice," Farrar told ET. "I thought his parents were just like, 'Catch the FedEx guy, we gotta ship this box.' But when he came back with a loose skateboard, and told me to get it to Tony Hawk, my heart just melted."
"I just thought, 'This is amazing. I really have to try to do something for this kid, because how could you let him down? He was so sincere," he added. "When he walked away, I said, 'I'm really going to try,' because why not? So I just put it out there, and waited to see what happened."
Have you heard an uplifting story that brought you joy amid the coronavirus pandemic? I'd love to hear it! Share it with me on Instagram (@desireemurphy_), and for more heartwarming moments like this one, visit our Good News section for daily inspiration.
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