Wish Comes True for 8-Year-Old Boy Battling Cancer

People around the globe are showing support for an 8-year-old boy from Rhode Island whose dying wish is to be famous in China.

Dorian Murray, of Westerly, Rhode Island, has been battling rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare form of muscle cancer, since he was 4 years old, according to NBC News. His family made the difficult decision in December to stop chemotherapy after cancer cells spread into his spinal fluid.

Dorian recently told his parents he wanted to be famous in China before going to Heaven. His family is hopes to make Dorian's wish come true since his cancer is untreatable.

Now he's becoming famous around the world, thanks to a social media campaign in his honor.

Thousands of people from France to Hong Kong are posting photos of themselves holding signs marked "#DStrong" after Dorian's family posted the slogan on Facebook and Twitter. The hashtag was the top trending topic Friday morning on Weibo, China's Twitter-like service, with more than 33 million views and 35,000 posts, NBC News reported.

A Facebook page entitled "Praying for Dorian" has garnered more than 28,000 likes.

Dorian even met New England Patriots tight end Rob Gonkrowski, who joined the "DStrong" movement by paying a special visit to Dorian on Monday night.

And on Wednesday, the 8-year-old received a celebrity's welcome when he arrived at Foxwoods Casino for a night of fun and games with friends. Casino staff cheered as they formed lines in the lobby holding "#DStrong" signs.

Dorian's mom, Melissa Murray, said she hopes her son's wish draws attention to pediatric cancer. 

GoFundMe page has been set up to help fund Dorian's medical expenses.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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