Sam Griner was 11 months old when his mom Laney snapped a picture of him on the beach as he was about to put sand in his mouth.
Little did he know that he would become one of the most recognisable faces on social media and eight years later, it could be the key to saving his father's life.
Netizens who recognise Griner as the face behind the viral 'Success' memes on Facebook, Twitter and various advertising campaigns are now giving back to Sam after learning that his family has launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for his dad Justin's kidney transplant.
According to a report from The Daily Mail, Sam's dad has been undergoing dialysis for his failing kidneys for the past six years. Sam's grandmother also died of the same illness.
The transplant remains the only hope for Justin to get better but the procedure costs a lot of money, something the family cannot afford.
Unknown to the public, while Sam's photo has been extensively used for various materials, the family does not get a cent in royalties. The image was uploaded by Laney on Flickr several years ago without knowing that it would become such a sensation.
The next thing she knew, her son's face was plastered all over the internet, most often used for memes by netizens.
In their time of need, Laney appealed for help online by launching the GoFundMe drive explaining Justin's condition. The drive sought to raise the $75,000 they needed for the procedure.
Social media users, who enjoyed seeing and sharing Sam's memes, wasted no time in putting the same effort into sharing his story. Most of the users understood the family's situation and wanted to pitch in whichever way they could.
The GoFundMe drive simply tiled Justin's Kidney Transplant has so far raised $100,180, from 4,806 donors in just under two weeks. The link has been shared on Facebook 1,300 times and tweeted by users 1,200 times.
"I can't thank you all enough for getting us to our goal and way beyond. We're so thankful and humbled by the outpouring of support and kindness. This has all been far beyond our wildest hopes for fundraising. We never could've dreamed this. I'll be eternally grateful for the support and hope you all gave to us. I love the internet so much," Laney said on the GoFundMe page.
