A little boy facing death had one wish before he died of terminal cancer: to be famous in China. Thanks to Facebook, Dorian Murray is now even more famous than Mike Tyson.
China Fully Embraces Child With Terminal Cancer
Dorian Murray was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, which is an acute iteration of muscle cancer, at age 4. It progressed to the point where it became completely untreatable. Instead of remaining hospitalized, the Murray family decided to take Dorian home.
Why did Dorian want to become famous in China? According to the eight-year-old boy, because of the Great Wall of China. Murray’s father posted this comical story on Facebook, and almost overnight, Dorian’s wish has come true. The family designed a slogan to commemorate Dorian, the D-Strong logo, and it got thousands of hits from people. The logo started to appear in pictures of the Great Wall and other spots around the world.
Dorian Murray Becomes More Famous than Mike Tyson
News about Dorian even made it to the Chinese state news agency Xinhua. One tourism company CEO called Liu Ping was so touched by the boy’s story that she went to the Great Wall and posed for a picture for him in sub-freezing temperatures. Other tourists also posed with her. Xinhua created the #DStrong hashtag to chronicle the pictures, taken in Beijing, Shanghai and the West Lake in Hangzhou.
Dorian Went into A Short Remission in 2013 but Relapsed
Six months after these amazing stories being shared, Dorian relapsed. His cancer had spread to his spinal fluid. After 6 surgeries, 53 radiation treatments and 27 weeks of therapy, he went into a brief remission but eventually relapsed. He’s been since visited by the likes of Rob Gronkowski and other celebrities and has not lost hope.
All of this started with a single Facebook post and made a little boy a global phenomenon. He surpasses even Mike Tyson in fame in China, and not only for having those big blue eyes. The boy shows incredible strength and perseverance. He’s well beyond his years at age 8, and just like his very own hashtag dictates, he hopes to stay strong.
