This article was first published in June 2021.
A US mum has shared her heartbreak after no one showed up to her son's sixth birthday party.
In a TikTok video that has since garnered 4 million views and more than 25,000 comments, @dawners86 explains how none of her son's 22 invited school friends turned up to his birthday.
"So we're sitting at the park for JJ's birthday party, got everything ready, his party started half an hour ago," she says while filming her lone son on the playground.
"He had literally zero people show up for his birthday, " the devastated mum continues. "My poor little man. He deserves better, he's amazing."
She had prepared cupcakes, food and party decorations which were set out on a picnic table - but 30 minutes into the party no one had shown up to share them with JJ.
The lack of guests wasn't due to COVID-19 restrictions either, she says. The party was deliberately held outdoors due to the pandemic, and restrictions in her area have been lifted.
TikTok users swarmed the comment section, offering words of support, birthday wishes and presents.
"This happened to my daughter when she was little," one user said. "Only one person showed up out of the 20 kids, so I lied to her that I had put the wrong address on the invites."
In a follow-up video, the mother teared up, thanking everyone for the support.
"The outreach has been phenomenal," she said, adding JJ wanted any presents to be sent to children's hospitals.
She also revealed that after making a few calls to old friends she had two families turn up to celebrate with JJ.
Later on, @dawners86 held a live video party for her son on TikTok. At this party, JJ was no longer lonely with a whopping 30,000 viewers tuning in.
