Updated on March 25, 2015: 10:15 a.m. EDT
To celebrate his 13th birthday, Odin Camus' mom planned an extra-fun party, complete with bowling, balloons and his favorite food.
But Melissa Camus says her efforts were derailed when not a single one of her son’s classmates RSVP’d for the bash. The Petersborough, Ontario, mom says her son, who was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome when he was 5, “struggles with bullying” and has had “some difficulty making friends.”
In the end, however, the teen’s birthday celebration was bigger and better than either Odin or his mom could’ve imagined -- and it was all thanks to thousands of strangers on the Internet.
Melissa took to Facebook to invite people to attend her son’s party and to send him birthday wishes on his special day. Before long, the invitation had gone viral, with more than 5,800 people on Facebook showing their support.
The teen was soon deluged with messages of friendship and encouragement online.
Local news site PTBO learned of Odin’s story, and shared the teen’s plight in an article. The news site also offered to throw him a big birthday celebration.
Some famous folks, including singer Carrie Underwood, actor Elijah Wood and Canadian politician Justin Trudeau, even sent birthday wishes to the teen.
Canadian sports teams like the NBA’s Toronto Raptors, the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs and the MLB's Toronto Blue Jays, also had some words of encouragement for Odin.
According to Metro, PTBO made good on its promise to throw Odin a memorable party. The teen was reportedly brought to a bowling alley in a stretch limo on Friday night, and met by reporters, photographers and about 450 people who had shown up to honor his big day.
Odin's mom tweeted her thanks to all those who offered their support to her son. "As Odin says -- BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!!!" she wrote.
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