Internet rallies to make 9-year-old amputee feel better

[Zalend Thames, 9, poses with Officer Dave Edwards and Lt. Brian Rackow / Facebook]

A 9-year-old U.S. boy who lost one of his fingers in a tile saw accident has been self-conscious about his hands since.

Thanks to some good people at the local police department in Midland, Texas – and some strangers on the Internet – Zalend Thames found out that he was not alone.

Officer Dave Edwards and Lt. Brian Rackow, who are amputees themselves, met up with him to let him know that “despite any obstacle, you can achieve anything you put your mind to.”

A picture of the trio was uploaded to the police department’s Facebook page, where they commend the 9-year-old for taking the photo, even though he has been afraid of showing others his injury.

Zeland met the two after his grandmother spotted Rackow at a carnival and thought that the meeting might be the boost he needed, reports The Huffington Post.

“He’s been sticking his hands in pockets, feeling like there’s always an audience watching,” Rackow told the news outlet.

“We just pointed out to him … that he’s not alone out there,” he said. “That was a really great thing for us to get to do.”

After their story reached social media, a number of positive messages poured in to let the 9-year-old know how brave he is.

“I lost my ring finger in a friendly fire training accident ten years ago,” one Facebook user wrote. “I am still on the job and love it the same as day one. You can do anything you want. Never give up.”

Another user named Kyle Conley, who lost half of his thumb in 2009, told him that he will “always have a story [to tell].”

Rackow told The Huffington Post that he hopes the young boy feels inspired by all of the positivity he received.

“Hopefully he’ll take that and if he meets someone else going through the same struggles, he’ll do the same for them,” he said.