Every 16-year-old has life goals and dreams. Brain tumor survivor Lewis Hine is no exception.
On March 17th, the young man celebrated his sixteenth birthday and decided to ask the world to do him a small favor and share his epic birthday video so all people know “its ok to be different” just like he is.
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At seventeen months, the young man was diagnosed with a brain tumor and since that day he has had 13 surgeries to keep him alive and healthy. In addition to that, Hine suffers from regular seizures, drug resistant epilepsy and hydrocephalus, a rare condition that is a build-up of fluid on a person’s brain cavity.
To the young man these physical challenges are things he’s grateful for. Saying in the video clip that, “People say I’m disabled as if its a bad thing. But I say im (sic) lucky. I know what my challenges are. I never take anything for granted..I don’t feel sorry for myself.”
So far, Hine’s inspirational video has attracted millions of views, social media shares and the support of fans like Sir Elton John.
Hines told BBC earlier this week that “Sir Elton John phoned and said he’d watched the video.” And in response to it, he told Hine that, “(It) was so inspirational it made him cry.”
During the phone conversation between Hine and John, the teen added that the superstar said, “he was so proud to hear there was someone out there supporting children with disabilities and trying their hardest to make a difference.”
Hine runs a charity called Friend Finder, an organization that helps children with disabilities and illnesses connect to form meaningful friendships.
And before his big birthday request went viral earlier this month, the young man started a GoFundMe page to raise money to have a Friend Finder prom. So far he’s raised 14,603 pounds and his goal is 15,000.
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