Dad posts about autistic son's wish to have friends on his birthday. Russell Crowe, Mark Hamill and others understood the assignment

Humanity has a heart-melting way of coming through in a bleak and dark world. While there is so much going on that can bring hopes down, simple efforts are adding a light of love and inspiration to many's lives. When a dad, Kevin Harrison (@kevharrison_), shared a request on X for his autistic son Daniel, several people responded wholeheartedly. But that was not all, among the tens of thousands of people who responded were celebrities like Russell Crowe, Mark Hamill and prominent brands like Amazon. The dad shared a picture of his son and mentioned that he was autistic and did not have a single friend.

What was more upsetting was that in his activity book at school, he mentioned his two wishes to be able to “learn to drive and make a friend.” The dad shared a picture of the note along with a heartfelt plea to strangers on the internet - share a message for his autistic son on his birthday. The dad requested, “Please wish him a happy birthday. Please show him you care.” The dad was hoping Daniel wouldn’t feel alone and people, without a second thought, flooded the comments section with wonderful messages for Daniel.

Among the almost 50,000 messages, even celebrities chimed in and sent adorable wishes to the boy. Russell Crowe, a renowned actor who had delivered hits like “Gladiator” and “The Pope’s Exorcist,” wished the boy, “Happy Birthday Daniel.” "Star Wars"' Mark Hamill wrote, “For my friend Daniel,” and attached a GIF of his character and iconic dialogue from the movie that says, “The force is strong with this one.” Comedian Rick Mercer also wrote, “Happy Birthday Daniel.” Wishes also came from official pages of YouTube, Amazon Books and NASA Aeronautics.

Several parents who shared the dad’s experience of having an autistic child responded with personalized messages from their kids to Daniel. Shaun Fellows wrote, “Happy Birthday Daniel! My youngest Max, who is autistic, wanted to send Daniel a Happy Birthday message. Have a great day.” He also shared a video of his boy wishing Daniel from the heart. Another mom, Sam Carrington, who has an autistic son named Billy, shared a video of her boy singing Happy Birthday for Daniel with the brightest smile.

@screenwritery took things one step ahead and made a personalized piece of art with a sketch of Daniel dressed as Superman with a wish. @bananaintherama added, “Hi, Daniel!!! Lots of people out there would like to wish you a Happy Birthday and say that you are not alone!! Have a great day!” @brahp wrote, “Happy Birthday, Buddy! From the Firefighters at Lawrence, Massachusetts, USA” It’s safe to say that every possible wish Daniel could dream of was all right there, straight from the hearts of people from vivid backgrounds, ages, professions and whatnot.

With messages flooding in from all places, Daniel’s birthday became a trend on X in no time. Even years after the post was shared, people do come back and drop a birthday wish for him in the comments section. In a comment, his dad replied, “That tweet is two years old and viewed by 15 million for his 16th. He is 18 this year.” People wholesomely came together for Daniel once again, leaving him no room for loneliness. This chain of unity and love is infectiously spreading and we’re all for it!