Because a famous rapper dared to be different, a 10-year-old boy has been inspired to do the same.
On Sept. 10, Brenda Vaden from Denver posted a picture of her son Jayden on Instagram. According to the post, Jayden was diagnosed with retinoblastoma when he was a year old.
"In result of that he had his right eye removed 2 weeks after his 1st bday. He's worn a prosthetic eye since then," Vaden wrote in the caption.
Vaden explained her son "has always been terrified of taking it out." That is until Fetty Wap came along.
Fetty Wap, the rapper behind the massive hit "Trap Queen," lost his left eye to glaucoma as a child. He does not wear a prosthetic eye, which inspired Jayden to do the same. Though his parents were hesitant at first since their son has dealt with bullying in the past because of his eye, they supported their son's decision.
"We’re just really proud of him and we support him in whatever he wants to do," Vaden told The Huffington Post.
After Vaden shared her son's story on social media and thanked Fetty Wap for giving her son "the confidence to be different," comments poured in from people voicing their support and appreciation. Fetty Wap himself even got in on the action and commented on her sister's post.
"I appreciate his confidence I appreciate you taking the time out for me and thank you for being a fan of me as a person and thank lil man for being a fan of Fetty Wap," he wrote.
Jayden was stunned. "He kept reading it and would just stare at the comment," his mom said.
Vaden told HuffPost her family feels "really humble and really grateful" for all the positive feedback. They hope to use the opportunity to spread awareness about retinoblastoma.
"It's a great opportunity for people to become aware of the common signs and symptoms, given that it most commonly affects young children," she said.
Jayden enjoys reading the comments, but hasn't let any of the newfound attention go to his head. "He's still doing homework, chores, the normal," Vaden said. "He hasn't gotten off the hook for any of that."
H/T BuzzFeed
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