Happy Birthday, Shane! A birthday wish for a boy with cancer.

Shane Bernier is a courageous seven-year-old boy from Lancaster, Ontario who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia when he was only five. On June 6th, 2006 Shane and his family received some unfortunate news: Shane experienced a relapse after completing 108 of 130 weeks of treatment.

However, despite the bad news, Shane has managed to keep a positive outlook on his situation and made a heart-warming wish... He didn't ask for money or toys or anything of the sort. Instead, for his birthday on May 30th, he wanted to break the world record for the most birthday cards ever received.

On May 30, 2007, Shane Bernier celebrated his eighth birthday with a pile of approximately 5.6 Million birthday cards from around the world, more than he'd ever imagined when he first made his wish back in January. 

From movie stars like John Travolta to singers like Avril Lavigne, and TV stars like Dr. Phil, and political figures like Prime Minister Stephen Harper,  Shane has birthday wishes from around the world.

The 5.6 Million announcement was made by Carter Brown, morning show host for Ottawa radio station 105.3 KISS FM, during Shane's birthday party at the Children's Hospital of Eastern (CHEO), where Shane had undergone radiation and chemotherapy only hours earlier.

Shane was also sent a Canadian flag, signed by members of the Canadian forces fighting in Afghanistan - his favorite, said Bernier. For awhile, there was talk that he might break a Guinness World Record, but the family was recently told the category would be retired.

The big campaign was for his birthday on May 30, 2007. The family has formally requested that no more cards be sent.

However if you still want his address, it is:

Shane Bernier

PO Box 484

Lancaster, Ontario

K0C 1N0

Canada

NOTE: This is the only valid address. An address in Illinois has circulated, but that is not a valid address.

Because of the nature of this project, people e-mail this story to their friends. Forwarded e-mails notoriously have hoaxes and false information in them. I assure you, this story is not a hoax. Snopes.com a site which looks into authenticity of stories has looked into it. Be careful that when you send your card, you are sending it to Ontario Canada ... any other address is fake (a fake address in Illinois has turned up).