Social media, and more specifically Twitter, tends to get a pretty bad rap as a breeding ground for animosity and vicious comment wars. From politics to celeb gossip, the topics that Twitter trolls will pour gasoline on are pretty much endless.
But amidst the people spewing hate and fueling fights behind the comfort of their computer screens, there is actually some GOOD that can come out of the minefield that is social media.
And the story you’re about to read is living PROOF.
It all started with a wrong text — and ended with over $36,000 in donations to a 4-year-old’s cancer treatment.
A little thrown off? Just wait ’til you see how this ridiculously sweet chain of events played out…
When a young dress shopper named Sydney needed a second opinion on her gown, as girls do, she snapped some dressing-room shots and sent them off to her friend for approval… or so she thought.
Turns out, that text landed in the hands of a total stranger named Tony Wood. While most wrong number texts result in total silence or an awkward exchange of “oops I’m sorries,” this father of six had a not-so-expected reply.
“I believe this message was intended for someone else,” he started in response, followed by an adorable pic of his kids giving a smiley thumbs up.
“My wife isn’t home, so I couldn’t get her opinion,” he added, “but the kids and I think you look stunning in your dress! You should definitely go with that one!”
Wicked cute right? But this story gets better…
Surprised and amused by the sweet response from a total stranger, Sydney’s friend posted screenshots of the text exchange, expecting a few heartwarming responses from friends.
However, little did she know, her little snapshot of a story would become a viral sensation, racking up over 175,000 retweets and nearly 700,000 likes on Twitter.
News of the unexpected Internet fame quickly made its way back to Tony, who replied with a shout-out to his son Kaizler, the only child missing from the thumbs-up picture.
“Hello! Apparently, you have made my children Twitter famous!” he wrote. “My 2nd youngest (not pictured, he was at chemo clinic) has a FB page for his fight against Leukaemia and one of our Prayer Warriors recognised [recognized] the children! Btw, my wife agreed that the dress looked great! God Bless!”
In reply, one Twitter user inspired by the Woods’ story tweeted, “Hope Twitter does it’s Magic. Below is the GoFund me link for Kaizlers treatment for Leukaemia. Kaizler is missing in the pic, Let’s get a Thumbs up from him too.”
So Tony posted a picture of Kaizler…
And Twitter DID ITS MAGIC…
Since the tweet was posted on March 9, Kaizler’s GoFundMe has reached over $36,000, far exceeding its goal of $10,000.
Needless to say, the Woods were beyond speechless by the kindness flooding in from strangers on their behalf.
“The kindness and generosity of Twitter and other venues saw our GoFundMe account surpass our goal last night!” Tony wrote with gratitude. “I can’t begin to thank everyone enough! This is a major hour of need for us and this blessing will help more than you know!”
If you would like to donate to this little cancer fighter’s cause, visit his GoFundMe page here.
