Reddit.com has done it again. The social media community has once again responded with incredible generosity to a personal story of tragedy posted on their website.
Jake Villanueva, of Canada, was given six months to live after a surprise diagnosis of terminal kidney cancer last year. He wanted to tell his story and “just talk” with people about what it’s like to survive in his shoes. He posted on Reddit, “I am a 23 year old boy with Stage IV Kidney Cancer. I won’t see 24.”
Comments of encouragement started pouring in. When folks learned that he had always wanted to travel, they offered to open their homes to him and his family.
What happened next is the stuff of Reddit legend.
(The online community has previously raised $65,000 in 24 hours for an African orphanage, and brainstormed on how to deliver an amazing gift to dying man’s friend, among other feats.)
Lindsay Minar, from Portland, Oregon, read all these travel ideas that were posted and decided to set up a fund to help pay for his dream of traveling.
By the time Jake Villanueva woke up the next morning after he first posted his story, already $9,000 had been donated. In just 24 hours, more than $30,000 from 1,200 donors had been raised. Jake was blown away.
Meeting Ms. Minar will bring him to tears, he said. “I just want to hug her.”
(WATCH the video or READ the story at CTV)
Photo snapshot from CTV video