A terminally ill teenager has one birthday wish -- for people from around the world to send him birthday cards.
Jacob Priestly has a rare disease called Mitochondrial Disease. It's a life-threatening illness that weakens every cell in his body.
One thing Jacob loves is birthday cards, so last year, his mom decided to try and make sure he received more cards than ever before. She put out a call on Facebook asking friends and family to send Jacob a silly or funny birthday card, and it went viral.
Jacob received about 8,000 cards last year, and this year, his mom hopes he can get even more.
"Since his disease is terminal we don't know how many more birthdays he's going to have with us," Britney Priestley said. "So we vowed we would make every birthday bigger and better than last year."
Jacob's birthday isn't until August, but he's already received cards from England, China and Australia. The cards come from people of all walks of life, including other terminally ill kids and even prison inmates.
"They make me feel better and they just make me happy," Jacob said.
Jacob is hoping to receive 10,000 birthday cards this year.
If you'd like to send Jacob a birthday card, you can send one to:
Jacob Priestly
PO Box 855
Queen Creek, AZ 85142
