With a little over a week left until his birthday, I asked him what he wanted for his birthday.

As usual, he answered with Mario video games and legos, his favorite things. Then as we left to go to the store, we checked the mailbox and found a package inside for him. It was a birthday package. Suddenly he said, for my birthday, I want more mail.

I laughed and thought to myself, how am I going to make that happen? Later that night I sat at my computer and sent a short email to an editor at our local newspaper and asked her what it would take to publish an article in the paper. She picked up on my email and asked me a few questions, then I didnt hear from her again. I also posted a small post on facebook.com asking for some birthday cards for Danny.

As the week went on, we made plans to go away to New Hampshire for Danny’s birthday weekend. As we drove on Thursday, in the car with my parents on our way up north, my sister called and told us that Danny’s story was on the front page of every newspaper in the convenience store. I was shocked.

By the next day, we found out that his simple request had gone viral on the internet, and suddenly we were receiving messages from people all around the world. Then the news channels picked up on his story.

Suddenly the letters and cards from around the world began to pour into the post office. On Monday we received around 500 cards, Tuesday we received 3,000, Wednesday 8,000 and as the week went on we ran out of ways to get the mail home. On Friday, we were told that the post office sorted more mail for us then the entire town combined received in a single day. We began to run out of places to store the mail until we could open it. We had our whole family surrounding us helping us to open Danny’s birthday cards.

Suddenly Danny was a local celebrity. The news channels wanted to meet him and talk to him. We were invited to so many incredible places. Bob Kraft, the owner of the New England Patriots, invited Danny to the stadium so that he could hand deliver a card signed by all the members of the team, and then he sent us out for lunch. On Danny’s actual birthday we were invited to have a private party at the new Legoland in Boston.

The day after his birthday we were invited to the stadium again. This time, we didnt know quite what to expect. We arrived and were joined by news crews and our family. We sat on the side walk and waited. Suddenly a motorcade of police officers began journeying up the 2 mile long driveway of stadium. Following them was an enormous line of police cars, firetrucks, and motorcycles from all over Massachusetts and Rhode Island. They all came together to give Danny his very own incredible birthday parade.

Everyone that came for the parade came by to give Danny a card also. Then the Police officers gave Danny his very own police power wheels car that he got to drive all over the parking lot and field.

All of Danny’s dreams were coming true. He was only 6 years old, and had no idea the magnitude of what was going on around him. In total, we received over 800,000 cards, letters, and packages for Danny’s Birthday. And it all started with one simple wish.