Jacob Thompson’s mother and father want the 9-year-old boy’s last holiday season to be special, and asked for people in the community to send him Christmas cards to brighten his spirits.
Thompson was diagnosed with Stage 4 High Risk Neuroblastoma in February of 2014 and in recent weeks, his condition has reportedly worsened. Doctors told his parents he likely has less than a month to live.
Now, tens of thousands of cards have flooded his room at Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital in Portland, and some of the holiday messages have come from movie stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Anna Kendrick, the latter of whom is a Maine native who pointed out on Twitter that she “was born in this hospital.”
I was born in this hospital. I’m sending a card your way Jacob you handsome devil. https://t.co/yt9EC9WjAL
— Anna Kendrick (@AnnaKendrick47) November 3, 2017
CNN journalist Jake Tapper and the stars of the CBS medical drama “Code Black” also posted well wishes for Thompson.
And today, police from departments across Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts formed a parade of more than 100 cruisers and motorcycles past Thompson’s Portland hospital room window. The police then delivered more cards and Christmas gifts to the boy, according to the Portland Police Department.
“[T]he last we heard he has received over 30,000 cards from all over the world so far and we hope that he will get many more,” the department posted on Facebook.
The online printing service Shutterfly is reportedly offering to let people design and send cards to Thompson for free using the coupon code CARD4JACOB through Nov. 12. Those who want to send cards the old-fashioned way can send them to: Jacob Thompson, C/O Maine Medical Center, 22 Bramhall St., Portland, ME 04102
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