Mason Belfour was supposed to spend his fourth birthday in Disney World, a gift granted to the child, who has cerebral palsy, by the Make A Wish Foundation. However, travel bans amid the COVID-19 pandemic put those plans on hold.
But his mother Destiny Belfour still wanted to celebrate her boy’s birthday by giving him something special.
“I’ve actually seen parades done locally (during the pandemic),” Destiny Belfour said. “I thought it would be a good idea because the trip got postponed.”
Initially, the birthday parade was just going to feature family and friends. But once Destiny’s best friend Sabrina Schueller got involved, it grew to become something much larger than initially anticipated.
“I just figured I would make it bigger,” Schueller said. “So I started sending emails and making some phone calls and using social media.”
The response she received was even greater than either woman could’ve imagined.
“I’m absolutely shocked,” Schueller said. “I was crying because I couldn’t believe how many people actually came out. People that I didn’t even contact or talk to, and all of the people of the street and everything, it was absolutely crazy.”
A sentiment echoed by Mason’s mother.
“I didn’t expect the fire truck and the ambulance and the tow trucks and stuff, so that was pretty neat,” she said.
Aside from the happiness she felt watching the community come together for her son, nothing compared to the joy she received watching the excited look on Mason’s face.
“Seeing him smile was just amazing,” Belfour said.