The Internet's Most Familiar Face, "Success Kid" (Photo : Twitter)
"Success Kid" is probably one of the most familiar faces of the internet. The picture of a toddler with a clenched fist full of sand and a look of victorious satisfaction became the internet's most positive meme of all times.
The pic was taken and uploaded by a woman in 2007 of her son playing on a beach and trying to eat sand. The pic was eventually picked up by MySpace and Reddit and soon became an epitome of positivity and victory, appearing on T-shirts and even other merchandise.
Eight years later, "Success Kid" is all grown up now and is facing real life problems. The famous pic belongs to 8-year-old Sammy Griner whose dad Justin Griner is in need of a kidney transplant.
CNN reported that last week, the Griner family has created a GoFundMe page to raise $75000 for their medical bills and the campaign is already a success. About $9000 was collected within the first five days and the funds are now overflowing with $86000 in just a week.
Justin was diagnosed with kidney disease in 2006 and within three years, the problem complicated to the extreme.
Sammy's father's both kidneys have failed and is surviving with the help of repeated dialysis. The cost of the dialysis and transplant are covered by Medicare, but one needs to bear the additional treatment and medication costs, some of which may last a lifetime, E! News reported.
"One can only survive with no natural kidney function ... for so long," said Laney Griner, Sammy's mother. "His energy and mood are affected; he can no longer work, and he spends 12 hours a week in dialysis clinic."
The GoFundMe page also provided them a link to find a possible donor as they could not find a suitable one in their family and close friends. The search for the live donor is still on and the parents of the "Success Kid" are quite hopeful that they will soon find the match.
