This very sad photo of a teen alone on her birthday is going viral, and you can help!

Birthday parties should be exciting affairs with lots of people, balloons, and delicious cake, especially when you’re a teenager. But Hallee Sorenson from Maine turned 18 last year and invited her friends to her party, where there were balloons and cake, but not a single friend showed up. Hallee’s cousin Rebecca Lyn took a photo of Hallee anxiously waiting for her friends, entirely alone at the party venue. She posted it on Tuesday and it quickly went viral. The photo is heartbreaking, to say the least. No one should have to eat birthday cake by themselves.

In the Facebook post, Rebecca included that Hallee has autism, and that she’s “a beautiful young woman both inside-and-out.” More than that, she “lights up a room with her smile.” Understandably, Hallee was deeply affected by the birthday incident.

BUT the good news is that Hallee’s 19th birthday is coming up in July, and Rebecca wants to make up for lost time and give Hallee something she will remember forever! She has asked if people could participate by making Hallee a special celebratory card, and mailing it to this address:

Rebecca explained in her message, “Hal loves getting mail. This would be the best birthday gift she could ask for. If you could find it in your heart to take a few mins out of your day and send her a card, I would be forever grateful.” Her post on June 7th with the message and photo have been shared over 100,000 times, so it seems like people are taking notice.

We hope that Hallee’s photo continues to make the viral rounds, that she enjoys a fantastic 19th birthday, and that the unhappy memories of last year’s failed shindig are soon buried under happier ones — plus mailbags full of awesome birthday cards from friendly strangers!

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