Daniel is a teenager who lives in Nottingham, England, and he has autism. Daniel, like all autistic children, liked to be alone.
But one day, something strange happened that no one in his family saw coming. Daniel’s father, Kevin Harrison, was surprised to find out that Daniel had written down two wishes during one of his sessions at his special needs school.
His first wish was to learn how to drive, and his second wish, which was a bit of a surprise, was to make some friends. His family was surprised because they had always thought that Daniel didn’t know what friendship was.
Kevin wanted to do what his son wanted, just like any other caring dad. As Daniel’s 15th birthday got closer, Kevin used his Twitter account to post a heartfelt note about his son’s wishes. All he wanted was some birthday love on the internet for his wonderful autistic son. But Daniel’s family was in for another surprise.
People connected themselves to Daniel almost as soon as the tweet spread. There were a lot of likes, shares, and comments. They sent him a lot of birthday messages full of love and good wishes.
Daniel’s my son. Profoundly Autistic. Hasn’t one friend. It’s his birthday today. In his ECHP he wrote that his two wishes were to learn to drive and make friends 😣 Please wish him a happy birthday. Please show him you care. Please share. ##happybirthday #autism #rt pic.twitter.com/Psu97TSj6g
— Kev & Daniel’s #autism journey (& Bruce 😉) (@kevharrison_) September 29, 2021
Some people posted pictures of their own autistic children, while others posted pictures of their pets being happy. Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker, Russell Crowe, Sharon Stone, Ariel Winter, and the singer Liz Phair were among the famous people who wrote to Daniel.
For my friend Daniel: 🎂 pic.twitter.com/gBIzuEb9Sk
— Mark Hamill (@MarkHamill) September 29, 2021
Happy Birthday Daniel
— Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) September 29, 2021
Some people sent him real gifts in the mail, and others tried to help him get a driver’s license in their own ways. Kurt Bradley, an automotive photographer, and reviewer of performance cars, even made a point-of-view video with Daniel behind the wheel.
https://twitter.com/kurtbradley/status/1443380201438785544?s=20&t=l0_sCohPuVkPTpG4A0KvXQ
Kevin’s tweet about Daniel and what he wanted was the most talked-about thing in the US the next day. Kevin’s tweet was just a small thing his father did to make sure his son didn’t feel alone and to show him how much he loves and cares about people. A world where his autistic son could learn that he wasn’t alone and that he would get to learn to drive and make friends, two things he had always wanted.
Responses to the tweet showed that there are many beautiful and kind people in the world. All of them want to be loved and liked. No matter how separate we all feel, we are all linked.
Kevin Harrison always felt like he was the only one, but he found out that many other families felt the same way.
You’re not alone,
he said.
Just simply that people do love you.
