An Ontario mother said she has “taken to heart” the thousands of supportive messages her family has received after she took to social media when invitations to her son’s birthday party went unanswered.
Melissa Camus took to Facebook last week, after none of her son Odin’s classmates said they would come to his 13th birthday party. She wrote that she wanted her son’s birthday to be special, and said she was struggling to make the day “awesome.”
The message quickly went viral, prompting thousands of well-wishes from politicians, celebrities, sports teams and regular folks.
Odin Camus bowls at his birthday party at a bowling alley in Peterborough, Ont. on Friday, March 20, 2015.
Camus said Monday that she stopped counting after receiving 9,000 text messages of support. In an interview with CTV News Channel, she said Odin’s birthday party was the top trending topic on Twitter for two straight days.
“Which is amazing from one simple post,” she said.
Odin said he is bullied because he hit puberty at a very young age. He has developed acne and his voice cracks. Before his mom went public with her social media plea, Odin said few kids knew that he also has Asperger’s syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder characterized by difficulties in social interaction and communication.
“So everybody thinks that I’m different and they won’t hang out with me,” he told News Channel.
Camus said when her invitations went unanswered, she partly understood because it was March Break and some families had gone away.
“I just thought (that by) posting on this really small local Peterborough mom’s group he might get some texts. It would be a cool thing since he got a cellphone for his birthday to get some of that attention,” she said.
“And the Internet and took it and ran with it from there.”
Odin Camus surrounded by friends at his birthday party at a bowling alley in Peterborough, Ont. on Friday, March 20, 2015.
Odin received cards from well-wishers around the world, and hundreds of strangers turned up at a Peterborough, Ont., bowling alley with gifts, balloons and other goodies.
The support “is definitely something that we’ve taken to heart,” Camus said.
She says that, rather than kids befriending Odin because of the special attention surrounding his birthday, Camus hopes that her son can befriend other kids with Asperger’s “who feel that they don’t have any.”
“I’m really hoping what comes out of it is more of a sense of community amongst those with Asperger’s, whether its adults, kids or their families,” Camus said. “And beyond the sense of community that we’ve gotten from everybody worldwide, that the Asperger’s community gets a little bit tighter.”
Odin Camus surrounded by friends at his birthday party at a bowling alley in Peterborough, Ont. on Friday, March 20, 2015.
A performer sings at Odin Camus' birthday party at a bowling alley in Peterborough, Ont. on Friday, March 20, 2015.
Odin Camus receives a hug at his birthday party at a bowling alley in Peterborough, Ont. on Friday, March 20, 2015.
