Colin is a soon-to-be 11-year-old boy with few friends who endures bullying in school, but on Friday he got the birthday surprise of a lifetime.
The boy and his family flew out to New York, where he was surprised on the set of Good Morning America with a birthday party in front of the entire country.
The story started a few months ago, when the boy’s mother asked if he wanted to have a party for his 11th birthday. Colin told his mother that he didn’t have any friends, so there would be no one to invite.
So to show him that there were plenty of people who cared about his birthday, Colin’s mom set up a Facebook page called Happy Birthday Colin , with the intention that family members and maybe a few others could leave him wishes on his 11th birthday.
From there the page blew up. His mother Jennifer found a massive outpouring of support for Colin, who has a sensory processing disorder similar to autism that makes it difficult for him to communicate with other kids. More than two million people have left messages online, and more than 40,000 people mailed cards, letters, and packages to a post office box she set up for him.
The birthday celebration at Good Morning America was kept secret from Colin, who found out about all of it Friday morning on the set of the show. Colin was told he was on the show to test out some new video games, and as the preparations were made for his party Colin was shown playing on a large screen in Times Square.
It was only when he was brought out later that the true nature of the visit was revealed. The show’s hosts told Colin of his mother’s wish and the Happy Birthday Colin page, revealing that it had more than 2 million likes.
The Good Morning America hosts even had a present for Colin — a trip to Walt Disney World.
Those who want to wish Colin a Happy Birthday can still check out the Facebook page .
