Melissa Camus wanted her son Odin to have a memorable 13th birthday – but of the 15 people he invited to his party, not a single one RSVP'd.
Camus, from Ontario in Canada, worried that her son's Asperger's syndrome made it difficult for him to make friends, so she asked her Facebook buddies to help make him feel "like care people care about him".
Spurred on by their support, she set up a Facebook group to celebrate Odin's birthday. As word spread online, more than 5,000 people clicked "attending".
Over the next 48 hours, thousands of people from across the world began sending Odin birthday wishes.
Birthday wishes for Odin coming from around the world (via @Sysomos). #odinbirthday http://t.co/yqU1PMkSB5
Strangers that were moved by Odin's story tweeted drawings and photos to help celebrate his special day.
Hey @WhistleStopLife hook Odin up with some #poutine! Look, he loves it! #OdinBirthday @Ptbo_Canada
Odin received more than 5,000 text messages, videos, and virtual birthday cards.
@Ptbo_Canada Happy 13th Birthday Odin! Love, #WonderWoman and #Batman #odinbirthday
#odinbirthday Happy Birthday!!!! from your friends in Green :)
Soon enough, #Odin and #OdinBirthday were trending in Canada.
Happy Birthday Odin! More than 11,000 #odinbirthday tweets http://t.co/2slJZHiz8a
Sports team and local TV crews tweeted Odin their birthday wishes.
Happy 13th Birthday to our new friend Odin! Help him celebrate #Peterborough: http://t.co/5UqIVQBUmx #OdinBirthday
Happy birthday Champ! #OdinBirthday
.@BringerOfRain20 & @A_Sanch41 have a message for Odin. 🎂 Happy Birthday! 🎂 #odinbirthday
Happy birthday Odin from the gang at CityNews! #odinbirthday
Celebrities also sent messages to Odin.
Happy Birthday, Odin!
.@pmharper and I are wishing Odin a wonderful 13th birthday- we hope you had a great party. #odinbirthday
Heard about a sweet boy named Odin & his birthday. Really proud of Peterborough for making it special! Happy birthday, buddy! #odinbirthday
Politicians joined in to share the love, too.
Wishing Odin a very happy 13th birthday today! Hope you have a great day. Bonne fête! #OdinBirthday
And the kind strangers on Facebook kept their promise. Hundreds of people turned up to Odin's birthday party at a local bowling alley.
Odin: "Now the bullies will have a second glance at me." #odinbirthday
Someone even organised a limo to pick him up.
Odin's arrival at his party. #odinbirthday
Odin was showered with hugs and gifts from kind strangers.
Happy Birthday Odin! #OdinBirthday #BurlON
Someone even baked a cake for the party.
A little girl made this cake and dropped it off! @Ptbo_Canada Is the best city in the world!! ❤️ #odinbirthday
People smiled and cheered him on as he made his way through the huge crowd. He told The Star: “Wow, it’s amazing to know how much people care. It makes me feel amazing."
What a night! Awesome turnout for an amazing guy. #odinbirthday
His mother was overwhelmed by the response. “It’s awesome, it’s incredible. I mean look at this: so many people here just to wish him happy birthday.”
