Talking about his 9th birthday, Damien Smith is a boy of few words, but all of them are filled with joy.
Tuesday, November 24, 2020, marked a most memorable birthday for the young Canoe resident who, thanks to his mother Tiffanie Trudell and father Thomas Smith, was able to celebrate with the knowledge that many others were celebrating with him.
鈥淚鈥檝e been in tears almost this whole time so I鈥檓 exhausted from crying,鈥� said Trudell, whose tears of joy began falling on Saturday when she and Thomas revealed to their son the results of 鈥淒amien鈥檚 Birthday Project.鈥�
The project began in October, approximately two weeks after the family moved to the area, with a public post on Facebook. In it, Thomas and Trudell explained Damien鈥檚 birthday was coming up and how, when asked if he was excited about it, the eight-year-old replied, 鈥淣o, I鈥檓 just going to be lonely.鈥�
To remedy this, and the fact that a birthday party was looking unlikely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the heartbroken parents asked if anyone would be interested in sending their son birthday cards in the mail.
Those broken hearts were quickly filled with happiness as people from all over the world began responding to their post. Soon, Thomas and Trudell were making clandestine trips to the post office, gathering bundles of envelopes and parcels addressed to their son while trying not to spoil the surprise.
And then came the message from Canadian celebrity and Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds. With Damien being a big fan of Reynold鈥檚 鈥渕erc with the a mouth,鈥� friends of the family helped bring Thomas and Trudell鈥檚 post to Reynolds鈥� attention.
Trudell said it was at dinner time when she received a text from Reynolds and learned he鈥檇 be sending her son a special video message. She and Thomas finally got to share that video with Damien over the weekend.
鈥淔rozen,鈥� is how Damien said he felt while watching as Reynolds spoke directly to him.
Trudell, who has been brought to tears on more than one occasion by Reynolds鈥� involvement, said she expected his video message might be more humorous and light. While some of that is there, it is also personal, emotional and supportive.
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鈥淚t was the most perfect video I could have ever expected,鈥� said Trudell. 鈥淚t鈥檚 easy to joke and be like, 鈥榟a ha happy birthday,鈥� but to really pull himself down from his stardom and be like, 鈥業 have been where you are,鈥� that was a really beautiful thing that he did for my son 鈥� To take the time out of his day just to say, 鈥楬ey, you鈥檙e just like me.鈥欌��
On the Deadpool theme, Damien also received a Deadpool birthday cake by Amanda Gage of Cake Creations. The Shuswap chapter of Bikers are Buddies, whose members took part in a community birthday parade that drove past Damien鈥檚 home over the weekend, also gave him a Leap Pad which, along with the cards, are to help Damien with his reading.
Tiffanie and Thomas have been reading the cards, received from Ireland, Russia, Mexico, Scotland, the U.S. and, of course, Canada, together with Damien. They also plan on sending out thank-you cards.
Back home from school on his birthday, Damien had only one word to describe the celebrations so far: 鈥淣uts!鈥�
Trudell and Thomas are relieved they no longer have to keep Damien鈥檚 Birthday Project a secret, and grateful for everyone who has contributed to the experience.
鈥淪eeing Damien鈥檚 face makes me feel like I鈥檝e done a good job as a mom鈥�,鈥� said Trudell.
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