For the past seven years or so, the whole world has been entertained by the hugely popular meme of a photo with a baby smugly clenching his fist with a triumphant face.
The photo that was so adorable that it became famous and was widely shared and even edited with other funny stuff throughout the internet.
More so, that the baby in the photo who is Sammy Griner , the son of Justin and Laney Griner from Florida, was dubbed as “Success Kid”
Today, Sammy is 8 years old and his dad Justin needs a kidney transplant.
Justin was diagnosed with kidney disease since 2006 that lead to kidney failure in 2009.
Has been on a dialysis for the past six years the ”Success Dad” desperately needs a new kidney.
“One can only survive with no natural kidney function and using article kidney filtering for so long,” Laney added.
“The only way to save his life is to get a transplant.”
At first the “Success Mon”, Laney was hesitant to bring her sons viral fame to a campaign she created called GoFundMe to raise money for her husband’s treatment and surgery financial needs and to locate a kidney donor.
But she changed her mind when she realized it will be a positive boost and could bring attraction for fundraising efforts for people to know this is for the father of the baby who has made so many people smile and somewhat touched their lives.
As proof of Sammy’s internet fame, GoFundMe campaign has already raised over $30,000in less than a week.
Looking back on the meme’s rise to fame, Laney told ABC News, “It never stops being weird, and it never stops being awesome.”
Child behind “Success Kid” meme asks Internet to help find his dad a kidney transplant: http://t.co/jdZVaGmrpl pic.twitter.com/9NQ0LUA8Nq
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) April 15, 2015
As report by ABC News, Sammy’s Dad Justin is currently a patient at Mayo Clinic’s Campus in Florida.
He is not yet on the transplant list for a deceased donor but the Griners are still hoping that thru their campaign they will be able to find a living donor.
As Sammy’s Mom Laney told Buzzfeed, Sammy is hopeful.
“His dad is his hero and he’d happily do anything to help him get better.” She added
Justin Griner’s GoFundMe page is open for any financial donation or sign up for kidney donor match testing.
via Huffington Post
