Son Seeks 104 Birthday Wishes for his Dad’s Milestone, Receives an Overwhelming Outpouring of Thousands of Messages

“Not everyone has the privilege of reaching the age of 104, and when you do, you aspire to have lived a life worthy of celebration. Gerald was undoubtedly one such individual, and his milestone birthday turned into a joyous occasion beyond his wildest dreams. It all began when his son, Kevin Mills, took to Twitter to share the news of his father’s 104th birthday, inviting people to send their heartfelt wishes.”

“Mills also accompanied the request with an endearing image of his father, Gerald. “This is my dad, Gerald. He turns 104 on 12 July,” tweeted Mills. “Any chance I can muster 104 happy birthdays from Twitter? He’ll be amazed and baffled in equal measure.” What began as a simple birthday wish evolved into a heartwarming thread, as people not only sent birthday wishes but also shared images and stories of their own loved ones, predominantly featuring cherished grandparents.

The tweet received an overwhelming response, surpassing the targeted 104 birthday wishes by a large margin, amassing over 423,000 likes. One user, Adam Hill, shared a photo of his young daughter, expressing the hope that she would live as long as Gerald and extending warm wishes. “Happy Birthday Gerald. This is my daughter Flora who was born 12 weeks premature and has just come home to us at three months old. Hope she makes it to 104 too,” read Hill’s heartfelt message.

Others joined in by sharing images of their elderly relatives along with birthday wishes. Joanna, for instance, posted a picture of her 101-year-old grandmother, saying, “Happy birthday Gerald! My nan, Bridget, shares a birthday with your dad and she’ll be 101 this year! Hats off and many, many happy returns to these two very special centenarians and all the others on here!” Another participant shared a photo of their baby granddaughter, raising a toast to Gerald and revealing the amusing notion that the secret to a long life, according to the granddaughter, is being extra cute – a sentiment evident in Gerald’s own picture.”

“Even ‘Star Wars’ icon Mark Hamill, famed for his role as Luke Skywalker in the series, joined the birthday celebration, writing, ‘For Gerald’ and sharing a cake emoji. Stephen Fry, the renowned English actor and comedian, also extended his wishes, saying, ‘Happy birthday Gerald! xx.’ The outpouring of well-wishes continued, with one person sharing a picture alongside their grandmother and her sister, proposing a unique request for likes in honor of their 105 and 104 years respectively.

The heartfelt tweet not only gained traction on social media but also reached the airwaves. A tweet from 94.5 KHI in Ocean City, MD, conveyed radio birthday wishes: ‘Happy Birthday Gerald from 94.5 KHI in Ocean City, MD,’ accompanied by a link to a video where the host discussed the campaign on the radio. Sharon Steed contributed to the celebration by sharing a poignant image of her late father seated on a sofa next to an adorable dog. ‘Happy birthday, Gerald!! My dad made it to 86 (this is him before he passed this past year with my dog, Washington); he probably would have talked your ear off and eaten all the cake with you today!'”