For his 6th birthday, Teddy Bollinger threw a party at Peter Piper Pizza in Tucson, Arizona. He and his mother invited 32 classmates, plus their parents, and even assembled goody bags for each guest. Nobody came. His mom said one parent called to cancel, but that was it. Otherwise, they were expecting dozens of kids, and had booked space for large group. In a heartbreaking photo, Teddy sat at the long table alone, crestfallen, facing multiple pizzas and a lot of empty plates.
Teddy's mom shared the Facebook photo with a local reporter, who shared it on his on account. He wrote, "If you get a chance please wish Teddy a Happy Birthday," and the post quickly went viral. People from all over the country posted comments, sending he kindergartner birthday wishes. One woman wrote, "I hope you have a wonderful year and I’m sending you a big hug." Another woman wrote, "People are flaky and inconsiderate sometimes, while a man added, "Very, very few people still have the friends they made in elementary school as they do as adults...find something you love to do and be the best you can at it and most important, HAVE FUN!!!!"
Teddy also got some sweet presents. A local exterminator offered to take Teddy for a ride in a "mouse limo," the professional soccer team Phoenix Rising invited him to a play-off game, and the Phoenix Suns gave him the coolest present of all: tickets to their game against the Los Angeles Lakers! "How about we celebrate with thousands at our place!" the NBA team tweeted. "Tickets to Wednesday’s #SunsVSLakers game are all yours Teddy! Talk soon!"
Well, that wasn't just talk. The Phoenix Suns lived up to their promise, giving the 6-year-old the VIP treatment. Last night, Teddy went to his first sporting event ever, watching the Suns play the Lakers from courtside seats. That's right, he got to watch LeBron James play basketball from the best seat in the house. (Jealous yet, classmates, who bailed on his birthday party?) What's more, Teddy even got his own jersey, the number six, of course, with 'TEDDY' on the back. TMZ reports that he even got to meet stars Josh Jackson and Trevor Arizona, plus the team's gorilla mascot. The Suns tweeted a photo of Teddy on the court, and he couldn't look happier.
Last night the kindergartner got an amazing experience that totally trumps the fiasco at Peter Piper Pizza. It turns out that the internet can do good - who knew? Speaking with The Washington Post, Suns president Jason Rowley said, "Who knows what really happened, but at the end of the day we get to give a 6-year-old an extra special birthday experience and something he never forgets." Now Teddy knows that the world might seem like a cold place sometimes, but it's full of people that care about him.
