When President-elect Joe Biden took to the stage Saturday night to give the acceptance speech of a lifetime, watching proudly from Boscawen, New Hampshire, was 13-year-old Brayden Harrington.
"He's come a long way and I know he'll succeed," Harrington said.
Stuttering is something the eighth-grader has dealt with his entire life. It's also something Biden has famously worked hard to overcome.
"He just continues to inspire me," said Harrington.
As NBC10 Boston reported in August, Harrington has a special connection with Biden after meeting him at a campaign event his dad took him to in February in Concord.
"Hey Brayden, how are you, man?" Biden said at the time.
Brayden's dad, Owen Harrington, said to Biden, "We're here because he stutters, he wanted to hear you speak."
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Despite his packed campaign schedule, Biden spent half an hour talking with Brayden Harrington, going over tricks he uses to manage his stuttering.
"He gives up his most important time to talk with kids help them overcome fears in life and challenges," said Harrington.
The bond between the two was so strong, Biden even brought Harrington on stage at a rally and had him speak at the Democratic National Convention.
But Harrington says as a teenager still trying to manage his own stutter, it's been difficult to hear adults mock Biden.
"Deep down, they know he has a stutter, but they're just making themselves think that he is mentally ill, and that's just probably the worst thing you could say about somebody that's not the truth," he said.
Harrington says he knows Biden doesn't let insults bother him, and it inspires him never to give up.
"Now I see that if you believe something," Harrington said, "you can do it."
Harrington's family says while they would love to attend Biden's inauguration, COVID-19 makes it tricky, so at this point, they will plan to watch from their New Hampshire home.
