Dorian Murray (Photo : Facebook)
By posting photos of themselves at the Great Wall of China, Beijing residents are helping an 8-year-old American boy with cancer realize his dream to become famous in the Asian country. The photos must show people holding a sign with the hashtag #D-STRONG.
The patient, Dorian Murray, told his father in a Facebook conversation, that before he goes to heaven, he wants to fulfill his dream of becoming famous in China. His reason for picking the Asian giant is its landmark bridge, which refers to the Great Wall of China.
Murray was diagnosed of rhabdomyosarcoma, a type of cancer that hits children. He was four when he was diagnosed, had treatment and went into remission in 2013. But the cancer returned, confirmed by discovery of cancerous cells in his spinal fluid in December. In January, Murray's family decided to stop his treatment, reports China.com.
After his father posted their conversation on Facebook, it started to become viral and has so far been shared more than 3,600 times in Praying for Dorian, a Facebook page created for the brave boy. As of Wednesday, almost 1,300 netizens had participated in fulfilling the boy's dream by posting their photos with the hashtag. The campaign to support Dorian has extended to Weibo, China's equivalent of Twitter.
The Facebook community, in turn, has almost 33,000 likes. On YouTube, a song for Dorian was posted by Kids Learning Tube.
Mystic Aquarium and Foxwoods Resort Casino shares that it treated Dorian to Foxwoods and gave the cancer patient VIP treatment at the place.
Dorian's father, who created the Facebook page, thanks netizens for their response to the sick boy's request. He writes, "#dstrong is no longer just a hashtag. It is a movement! Dorian has brought so much inspiration to people around the world! I couldn't be more proud of my son."
