A Louisiana boy who has terminal cancer wants to receive greeting cards for Christmas — and people from around the world are responding to his request.
Drake Quibodeaux, 8, was diagnosed with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma in March.
A family friend suggested filling Drake’s mailbox with cards would lift his spirits, so his mom went on Facebook and posted a request that went viral.
Although Drake requested 190 cards, he has received more than 8,000 pieces of mail and several packages, according to Vinton, LA, Postmaster Trish Chenevert, whose office serves the route where the Quibodeaux family lives.
“Every day, people are contacting him. It’s such a wonderful outpouring of love and compassion,” Chenevert said.
Lisa Langley, a rural carrier who delivers to Drake’s home, appeared with him during a report on the local NBC station this week to talk about the response to his request.
“This is the most mail I have ever delivered,” Langley said.
Danielle Quibodeaux, Drake’s mom, told the station that his request is “not about presents. … It’s about letting him know the community loves him and they’re behind him.”
Drake, who enjoys hunting, fishing and Louisiana State University football, joins Maddox Hyde, a terminally ill Pennsylvania teenager who also is seeking mail this Christmas.
Viral mail requests have grown more common on social media in recent years, offering a new way to bridge digital and physical communications.
News organizations have published the address for those who wish to send cards to Drake: 2412 Hwy 388, Vinton, LA 70668.