Mark Gentle's son Carter was born with a congenital heart defect that has so far required a total of five open-heart surgeries. The seven-year-old's most recent surgery was to repair the pacemaker he's had since he was an infant.
Gentle told BuzzFeed that Carter was very emotional about the way his chest looked. So Gentle posted this photo to Facebook in the hope that his Facebook friends would cheer Carter up.
Gentle asked Facebook, "how many likes can Carter get for his bravery?"
#CHDAWARENESS We were a little apprehensive to post this but I feel it's important. Carter took his bandages off this morning. He cried for 45 minutes when he saw his scars. He said that he's afraid people will think he is ugly. This was hard to hear as a parent. We told him that his scars are beautiful and make him look like a superhero. How many likes can Carter get for his bravery?! Feel free to share. #CartersSong #HeartHeroes #CHD
To say Gentle's plan worked is a bit of an understatement, though. His photo currently has over a million likes and has been shared almost 100,000 times.
"We never thought for a minute we would get the response we have," Gentle told BuzzFeed. "We are truly amazed by how many people have come together for a boy they've never even met."
Gentle said many have told him that Carter's picture helped their own child suffering from similar surgery scars. "Their scars simply show that they are stronger than the disease that tried to kill them," he said.
Gentle, a musician based in Maine, actually recorded a song for his son a few years ago which people have started sharing after his son's photo went viral.
