Most
Birthday cards received
-world record set by Shane
Bernier
[June 12] OTTAWA, Canada-- With the help of Israelian Embassy
in Ottawa, eight-yeard-old Shane Bernier has set a new world
record for most Birthday cards received
: five million Birthday
cards from people in 36 different countries.
More
than 20 thousand Israelis helped the Canadian boy last week to fulfill
his birthday wish of breaking the Guinness Book record for number
of birthday cards received.
( click here to
enlarge photo
)
Officials at the Israeli Embassy in Ottawa were
informed earlier this year about Shane Bernier, who is suffering
from cancer, and his quest to set a new world record.
Touched by the young man's story, the Israelis
immediately got to work recruiting their countrymen to write birthday
greetings to Shane. The campaign was significantly boosted by the
embassy's purchase of a large ad in Israel's largest daily newspaper,
Yediot Ahronot.
By the time Shane's birthday rolled around last
week, he had received more than 20 thousands cards from Israelis,
and the embassy said more continue to flow in. Shane and his mother
later visited the Israeli Embassy in Ottawa to meet his benefactors.
In all, Shane received more than five million birthday
cards from people in 36 different countries, though Israel was the
only country where government officials initiated a public campaign
to assist the boy. He succeeded in setting a new world record for
number birthday cards received.
The Israeli Embassy was honoured to have Shane
Bernier on site to collect the over 5,000 birthday cards that have
arrived from Israel to help fulfill his wish of receiving the most
birthday cards in history.
Shane was given a brief tour of the Embassy before
meeting Ambassador Alan Baker and Deputy Head of Mission Amit Gil
Bayaz, who presented Shane with an overwhelming number of birthday
cards that have arrived from Israel, and which continue to arrive
weekly.
Despite Shane’s diagnosis with acute leukemia, he appeared
positive and courageous and the Embassy staff wish him a speedy
recovery on route to fulfilling all of his dreams.
Video
with Shane Bernier's wish
:
Another news video with Shane Bernier: