Earlier this month, no one from Glenn Buratti’s class showed up for his 6th birthday party.
Despite his birthday disappointment, Glenn, who has autism, got a “re-do” party that has gone viral as people across the world heard about the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office and Fire Rescue department’s surprise for the young boy.
The emergency workers reportedly threw an after-school party a few days after the boy’s real birthday party that included the likes of fire trucks and a flyover by the sheriff’s office’s helicopter, according to Click Orlando. The workers were among the people who knew of Glenn’s story after reading a post written by the boy’s mother after the first birthday party, according to the website Patch.com.
“Probably one of the biggest hurts you can have, to see how let down your child is when nobody shows up for them,” Glenn’s mother, Ashlee, told MyFoxTampaBay.
Glenn’s “re-do” party was also filled with friends and family wishing the young boy the “Happy Birthday” he deserves, according to the news outlet KelowNanow.
“Can I just say how mind blowing it is that people all over the world are messaging me, telling me how much Glenn’s story has touched them!,” Ashlee wrote in an Instagram post.
She added, “This is crazy! Thank you everyone for the love and support.”
The surprise doesn’t stop there for little Glenn.
After hearing about Glenn’s story, a Pennsylvania woman reportedly launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise $10,000 to send Glenn and his parents on a birthday vacation. Glenn’s dad, John, has reportedly shared the fundraiser through his own Facebook page as well.
Glenn’s story has brought attention to Ashlee’s hope that no other child experience this kind of disappointment because of a disability.
“They’ve got a heart just like normal kids,” stated Ashlee.