When Traci Eubank created an open invitation on Facebook last week to invite people to her son's birthday party after being concerned that her son's speech impediment and lack of friends would mean too few guests, little did she know the outpouring of goodwill it would generate.
Camden Eubank, 10, got the surprise of his life on Monday when hundreds of strangers showed up at his water balloon birthday party, his overjoyed family said.
"I bought pack of invitations and started filling them out," Traci Eubank said. "I thought to myself, 'It's so unfair. There's just no one to invite to this party. How can I have a huge water balloon party with four or five kids?"
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"It was just a great party," said Camden's grandmother, Kathryn Sowers. "There was a lot of people -- about 300 to 400. He was just beside himself. He had the best time."
His mom "was flabbergasted because she didn’t expect this," Sowers added. "She never thought it would go out of the general area."
Camden's father, Wayne Eubank, said his son was amazed by how many people turned out for his birthday party.
"He said to me, 'Gosh dad, I can't believe all this,'" he said. "The smile on his face from the time it started, to the time it was done -- he was grinning ear-to-ear."
The party kicked off with the local fire department soaking all the kids with a fire hose, his family said.
Following a colossal water balloon fight, Camden and his new friends enjoyed hot dogs, cupcakes and a six-tier "Despicable Me" cake, his family said.
So far, Camden has received 192 cards and over 200 gifts from strangers all over the world, his grandmother said.
Wayne Eubank said the gifts and cards came from as far from Brazil, China, Canada and Israel.
"The Mattel company sent him a box filled with things," he said. "We thought that was cool since not many kids usually receive a package from a big toy company like that. It's been so much to absorb. It's just unreal. It went crazy, but it went crazy in a good way."
Wayne Eubank added that above all, Camden was thrilled to open up the handmade cards that children made for him from all over the world.