Michigan boy who said he was friendless gets millions of virtual well-wishes, party on TV
3/7/2014KALAMAZOO, Mich. — When a Michigan boy told his mother he didn’t want an 11th birthday party because he had no friends to invite, she created a Facebook page to ask for well-wishes — and the response was overwhelming.
Colin was the guest of honor Friday at a surprise bash on the set of ABC’s “Good Morning America” in New York, where he learned that the page had drawn more than 2 million “likes.” He also received tens of thousands of cards, so many that his mother had to purchase a post office box.
Colin said he was “really surprised.” His family, who live near Kalamazoo, asked that their last name not be used.
Colin has a condition similar to Asperger’s syndrome that makes it difficult to relate to peers. His mother, Jennifer, said previously that classmates pick on him and he eats lunch in the school office.
The Facebook page went online Feb. 2.
“I created this page for my amazing, wonderful, challenging son who is about to turn 11,” she wrote on the page. “Because of Colin’s disabilities, social skills are not easy for him, and he often acts out in school, and the other kids don’t like him.”
Messages were posted from around the world. The family managed to keep the page secret from Colin until it was shown on a big screen in the “Good Morning America” studio. He’d been told they were visiting the program to test a new video game.
His on-air party featured the Rutgers University marching band and a huge cake. Afterward, the family was headed to Disney World, where Colin will celebrate his birthday Sunday.