Man shared how he missed late mom's midnight birthday wishes—a year later, woke up to unexpected surprise from strangers
Every year on his birthday, October 29, Josh Chace used to receive a text at 1:11 a.m. from his mother, who'd send him a birthday message. But after his mother passed away, Josh expressed his sorrow over never receiving the message ever again, until the internet decided to surprise him on October 29, 2025, in a way that moved him to tears.
In 2024, Josh Chace took to his Reddit account u/NESpahtenJosh to share a screenshot of his mother's message and wrote, "Before she passed, my mom would always text me at exactly 1:11 a.m. the time I was born, to wish me happy birthday." "Happy birthday to the best guy I know," she wrote to him in 2012, while in 2014 she wrote, "A very happy 35th, Josh. Dad and I are very proud of you and your family." Unfortunately, Chace's mother, Carol Chace, passed away unexpectedly in September 2021 at the age of 67, putting a heartbreaking end to her sweet 1:11 a.m. birthday messages to her son. Speaking to The Washington Post, Chace revealed, "She would stay up the night before my birthday just to text me."
Soon after Chace's post went viral, many Reddit users rallied to do something wholesome that Chace never saw coming. In an updated post, Chace revealed that after his story gained attention, many kind strangers online messaged him personally, wishing him a happy birthday, with some of the messages sent at 1:11 a.m. "A bunch of people set reminders. It's wild," Chace remarked.
Last year I made a post here about how my Mom used to always text me at 1:11 on 10/29 to wish me happy birthday, and that losing her 4 years ago meant I wouldn't get them anymore, which sucks... This morning I woke up to an inbox full of birthday wishes from folks who apparently set reminders..
byu/NESpahtenJosh inMadeMeSmile
Many users who saw his post the previous year stayed up until 1:11 a.m. or scheduled messages to wish him a happy birthday at the same time his mother used to send. Sharing screenshots of the messages he received, Chace wrote, "Last year I made a post here about how my mom used to always text me at 1:11 on 10/29 to wish me happy birthday, and that losing her four years ago meant I wouldn't get them anymore, which sucks... This morning I woke up to an inbox full of birthday wishes from folks who apparently set reminders."
Soon after Chace shared the updated post, many users flooded his post with sweet messages. u/kindest_regards wrote, "Every now and then Reddit can really be the most wholesome place on the internet. Happy birthday." u/cubicle_jack shared, "Agreed! Sharing things like this helps so many people feel better about humanity haha." FrostedMagnolias commented, "Totally agree. It’s amazing how strangers can come together to make someone’s day a little brighter."
In another similar story, a stranger left a heartfelt note at Christie Cancer Hospital in the UK. The stranger had left a note stating that they had prepaid for the snacks inside to "brighten someone's day." The note read, "Please find a variety of snacks at the bottom of this machine that have been paid for. Hopefully, there may be something in there that you can enjoy. Finally, you can spread the act of kindness." The hospital staff were overwhelmed by the stranger's gesture, and the act of kindness inspired a wave of gratitude online.