Undated file photoof Dorian eight-year-old Murray of Westerly, Rhode Island, in the United States. [Photo/china.org.cn]
Internet users in China and across the world are helping an 8-year-old boy with cancer realize his dream of being famous.
Dorian Murray, of Westerly, Rhode Island, in the United States, has been receiving many good wishes and comforting messages from Chinese netizens in recent days, including well-wishers standing on the Great Wall near Beijing holding signs with words "#D-Strong" and "You are very famous in China".
This is what Dorian has been dreaming about -- being famous in China and seeing the Great Wall, which he called "the bridge" that people walk on.
Dorian has been fighting rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare pediatric cancer, since he was 4. The disease was once controlled after a series of painful treatments, but in early January, doctors found the cancer cells had spread to his spinal cord and brain, and the family decided to stop the treatments.
Dorian told his father he wanted to be famous before going to heaven. The conversation between the two was posted on Facebook and was forwarded and commented on by thousands of Internet users, including many from China.
Some sent photos of the Great Wall, while others left messages on the post, saying "wish you recover soon" and "people in China are delighted to make your dream come true".
The post was also translated into Chinese and was further spread on China's social networking platforms like Weibo, a micro blog website. More people are moved by the boy's story and want to help him realize the dream.
A Chinese Internet user surnamed Zhang Heng even made a souvenir badge for Dorian. In it, he is on the Great Wall.
