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Remember this little boy? Young Sammy Griner first shot to fame when a baby picture of him became a series of memes.

When Sammy’s mother, Laney, took a picture of him in 2007 holding a fistful of sand at the beach, she could never have guessed that the 11-month-old would become an internet sensation.

With a ‘determined’ look on his face, he was dubbed the ‘Success Kid’ when the photo went viral in 2010, reports Daily Mail.

Ten-year-old, Sammy Griner, from Jacksonville, Florida, has used his fame in a very different way – that is, to save his father’s life.

sammy-griner-now

In 2006, Sammy’s father Justin became ill and suffered full kidney failure in 2009, forcing him to go on dialysis.

After six years, Mr Griner was told he needed a kidney transplant.

The family set up a GoFundMe page to raise the money. When several internet users realized that it was the father of the ‘Success Kid’, the Griners raised more than $100,000 in just days. All the money went to help with care surrounding the operation.

In August 2015, Mr Griner successfully underwent a transplant operation.

Sammy is happy his fame went to a good cause, he says he doesn’t want to go viral again and is happy with it having happened ‘just the once.’

The ten-year-old admitted that it can be annoying whenever people meet him and want him to do the pose that first put him in the spotlight, but the good outweighs the bad.

He said: ‘I’m really happy that I’m famous because I’m glad that people like it, I’m glad it makes people happy when they’re sad. I’m also really happy that I still have a dad.’

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Image via Daily Mail

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  • what a great, feel good story!

    Reply

  • What a great positive outlook this boy has. He could have let it all get to him but has chosen to see the positives.

    Reply

  • The power of social media! So good that famous shot helped raising money for this boy’s father transplant!!

    Reply

  • It’s nice to see something really good coming out of “going viral”.

    Reply

  • A wonderful little boy helping his dad!

    Reply

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