9-year-old stood up by his friends for his birthday party, but he received a special surprise
LAKE STATION, IN - A beautiful end to a heartbreaking experience for one Indiana boy -- who was stood up by his friends on his birthday.
And it's all thanks to his grandmother.
9-year-old Gerald celebrated his big day last weekend.
But none of his invites showed up -- leaving him feeling sad and disappointed.
His grandmother admits he has a disability, due to three major brain surgeries, and he often plays alone.
Amelia Lara, Gerald's grandmother, said, "So he's slower than other kids."
But when no one came to his party, she shared his story on Facebook which led to thousands of shares and presents from strangers across the globe.
"Twelve classmates said that they would come to his party and 3 o'clock came and went, 4 o'clock came and went. 5 o'clock and came and mom said we should cut the cake and he said what if one of my friends come. And none came. It's heartbreaking. He's just a kid who wants friends to play with," Lara said.
When asked how he felt when none of his friends came, Gerald said, "Sad."
"None of my friends come."
"I'm going to vent now," Lara read from her Facebook post, "Not wanting to cut his cake because one person might show up. So it is my mission to have as many cards sent to my little guy. This breaks my heart. Gerald Hamilton. And it just went crazy."
"Vietnam. London."
The post was shared more than two-thousand times.