When a Michigan boy with special needs said he didn’t want a birthday party because he had no friends, his mom turned to Facebook and found him more than a million supporters.

The boy’s mother, Jennifer, created a page on the social network earlier this month.

“Because of Colin’s disabilities, social skills are not easy for him, and he often acts out in school, and the other kids don’t like him,” Jennifer, who did not want her last name used, wrote on the page. “So I thought, if I could create a page where people could send him positive thoughts and encouraging words, that would be better than any birthday party.”

So far, the page titled “Happy Birthday Colin” has garnered 1.8 million likes and the boy’s eleventh birthday is not until March 9. The response has been so impressive that Colin’s family opened a P.O. Box to accept cards and it’s overflowing with mail.

“He’s going to have a lot of friends after this. They may not live by him, but he’s going to have a lot of friends,” Jennifer told WOOD TV in Grand Rapids, Mich.

Amid all of the attention, Colin’s mom — who is no longer doing any interviews — wrote on Facebook that she’s still trying to keep the page a secret from her son until his birthday.

“Several kids at school told him they saw him on the news, and he overheard a teacher saying to another teacher that she saw him on Facebook,” she wrote. “Please be careful if you know Colin in real life.”

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