Teen Seeks Family To Celebrate Birthday With Her

I am becoming increasingly convinced that the Internet is a really elaborate marketing scheme concocted by Kleenex. Because between little kids finding their moms blindfolded and inspiring shelter dogs who learn to walk thanks to the patience and care of human friends, the Interwebz is slowly melting my icy heart and making it leak out of my eyes. This story about a teen seeking a family through Craigslist to celebrate her birthday is no exception. It's like "OMG, Internet, I'm already crying. Stahp! I cannot handle any more of these emotions!"

According to a report that aired on ABC7 Denver, Natalie Carson was put into foster care as a baby after suffering abuse at the hands of her birth parents. She was quickly adopted by a family who moved to Georgia. When it was discovered that her adoptive parents were also abusing her, she was put back into foster care when she was 12.

Carson aged out of foster care last year and is truly on her own--she has no family with which to celebrate milestones or holidays. "Of course I've had birthdays," she explains, "but they've usually never been good. Every birthday is really painful and it's hard." And so, just as Dorothy went to the wonderful wizard of Oz to wish for her home, Carson went to the modern-day equivalent of Oz the Great and Powerful (aka, Craigslist) where she offered $8/hour to have a family for a day. The full news story can be found here:

At the time this story aired, "several" people had reached out, but since then, thousands have contacted Carson from around the world offering to celebrate with her.

Miss Carson, I hope you have a happy, happy birthday. Moreover, I hope this is just the start of a long life full of birthdays as happy as your past ones have been heartbreaking.

Images: Getty Images; Giphy