When Camden Eubank’s tenth birthday was approaching, his mother was worried that he wouldn’t end up with too many guests at his party.
This was because of his speech disorder, Apraxia, which makes it hard for him to talk under pressure and also means he has to be home-schooled a fair bit of the year, meaning he is quite isolated.
She took to Facebook to make an open invitiation to his birthday party, writing:
I know all kids should learn disappointment in life — but sometimes other kids are so cruel. Camden is turning 10 on July 6th and wants to have an ultimate water balloon fight party with 2,000 balloons and lots of kids.
I am extending an open invitation to anyone with kids that wants to come throw some water balloons with one awesome little boy.
Traci was also advised to post her concerns on the CHERAB foundation Facebook page – a non-profit page for those with speech disorders, which she did, and while she might have expected a few messages of support, she probably didn’t expect the response it ended up getting.
The post went viral, attracting 5,000 likes and was posted not only on Facebook but also on Reddit, and because of this and the kindness of strangers, the party was a resounding success.
Around 300 people went to Troutville Park to attend the celebrations, with some people even travelling for hours to attend the party.
One party goer, Von Lester, travelled for four hours and claimed:
Just because he does have that speech delay, doesn’t mean that people aren’t going to like him.
Amazing stuff.
