STANLEY, N.C. — Ronald Eddington an American Airlines employee based out of Charlotte helps travelers in the skies.
But now, he's hoping a new goal of his soars to success, and it's all for a good cause.
The story starts in Stanley, where Kenny Ballard and Bryan Holland have been regular customers at Friendly's. Ballard says he first told Holland about it, and it's one of their favorite go-to's for dining.
“I told him about this place, and we texted back and forth so we got together and ate breakfast and have been doing it ever since”, he said.
About a month ago, Ballard, Holland, and Eddington ended up at Friendly's on the same day. Holland said he decided to ask something of Eddington.
"I saw Ronald had credentials on from the airline, and I was asking if they had any discount tickets," he said.
Why the question? Eddington said he learned his answer quickly.
"He explained to me that he had a nephew that played baseball and he travels all the time," said Eddington, "from Charlotte to Indianapolis, Indiana."
But this isn't just for any league; Holland's nephew, Justin Holland, plays for the Indy Edge travel team, part of the National Beep Baseball Association. It's a league to give people who are blind or visually impaired the opportunity to play baseball.
Justin Holland is 26 years old today. Six years ago, when he was attending UNC Charlotte, he started losing his sight.
“In just a couple of months I was legally blind in both eyes”, he said. "Accepting it is really the only option, so that’s what I did and dealt with the good days and still deal with the bad days.”
The baseballs used in beep baseball look a bit different than the ones we're used to. These have a speaker that emits a loud beep to help players track the ball via sound. The rules are a little different as well, and there are also beep bases used in the diamond, but it's largely the same game.
Justin Holland says the game isn't always easy, and he still works on accepting the reality that came to him six years ago. But his experience with the Indy Edge has helped him understand he's not alone.
"Having that camaraderie, meeting people, especially with beep baseball - there’s not a lot of blind people where I live so I get to meet people from all over the country," he said.
"It's been a blessing," Todd Holland, Justin's dad said.
There comes the other part of this story: travel isn't cheap. And the games take him all over the United States.
So after hearing Justin's story, Eddington started a GoFundMe to help with the costs. So far, more than $300 out of a $2,000 goal has been donated. This kind act from a stranger touched the Holland's heart.
"You don’t hear it every day especially nowadays when someone takes initiative and wants to do something good for someone else," Justin Holland said.
Contact Lexi Wilson at lwilson@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.