A Canadian teenager named Odin Camus has received well-wishes from celebrities, sports teams, and people around the world, thanks to the magic of the Internet.
Camus, who has been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, was about to have an unremarkable 13th birthday after a disappointing zero people RSVP’ed to his invitation. So his mom turned to a Facebook group of mothers in Peterborough, Ontario, asking them to text her son happy birthday wishes.
Her request went viral, spreading to Twitter and around the world via the #odinbirthday hashtag. It got the attention of celebrities and strangers alike:
Heard about a sweet boy named Odin & his birthday. Really proud of Peterborough for making it special! Happy birthday, buddy! #odinbirthday
— Carrie Underwood (@carrieunderwood) March 21, 2015
Happy 13th Birthday to our pal, Odin from all of Leafs Nation! #OdinBirthday
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) March 20, 2015
Learn about Odin & help him celebrate → http://t.co/i4vVTuHz6F
Happy 13th Birthday to our new friend Odin! Help him celebrate #Peterborough: http://t.co/5UqIVQBUmx #OdinBirthday pic.twitter.com/PJpdB9mBpH
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) March 20, 2015
Happy Birthday, Odin!
— Elijah Wood (@elijahwood) March 20, 2015
Happy 13th Birthday to Odin from the @BlueJays! #odinbirthday http://t.co/BDIcRxVhVN
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) March 20, 2015
What a night! Awesome turnout for an amazing guy. #odinbirthday pic.twitter.com/EbwgeFHMJa
— Keri Ferguson (@KeriFerg) March 21, 2015
Odin’s phone has been blowing up with calls and text messages ever since then. By noon on his birthday, he had received over 1,000 text messages. (One of his birthday gifts was a new cellphone, which has surely been put through its paces since then.)
Odin also had another IRL party at an area bowling alley, which he showed up to in a limo. Nearly 200 people had to wait in the parking lot to get in the party.
When she first reached out to other mothers on Facebook, Odin’s mom wrote, “I want his thirteenth birthday to feel special, and like people care about him.” Mission accomplished.
H/T NY Daily News | Photo via Keri Ferguson/Twitter