A seven-year-old boy from Farmington, ME, underwent his 12th open heart surgery a few weeks ago, but has gotten a huge social media boost to help him during his recovery period.
Carter Gentle was in tears for more than 45 minutes after he saw the scars from the most recent surgery, thinking that if others saw them, he would be subject to ridicule. That despondency led his father Mark to take a photo of his son and then post it on Facebook. Mark explained the physical hardships that Carter had endured and his emotional response to the most recent surgery.
Mark said in his Facebook post, “We told him his scars are beautiful and make him look like a superhero. How many likes can Carter get for his bravery?”
Those who saw it quickly passed it on to other friends in their social media circle, and within a short period of time, the post had garnered more than 1.4 million “Likes” by people across the world.
That sort of viral reaction was enough to cheer him up, with Mark updating him frequently on the number of “Likes.” It also resulted in the family being interviewed on the Today Show.
Since the surge in popularity, Mark has reinforced their belief in this method of dealing with a hardship. “His scars are what make him, him. They show everybody what he’s overcome and that he was stronger than the disease that tried to kill him.”
