(Video above: The must-watch story of the Raffel family)
Alabama freshman Kyle Orrefice began a project called Give Back Films (GBF) with his friend Josh Gibson in 2013, garnering millions of views and changing dozens of people’s lives, but their latest video may just make you reach for the tissues.
Mike and Mikelle Raffel met tragedy when their 5-year old son Ryan began experiencing headaches.
The family was stationed in Germany at the time, where Mike’s career in the US Army had taken them. After a series of tests they were told that Ryan, their youngest of three, had leukemia.
“The whole world just came crashing down at that moment,” Mikelle told GBF.
During his treatment, Ryan charged nurses and doctors 10 cents to enter his room, trying to save up money for the LEGO Death Star he so desperately wanted.
“The Death Star… that was his pride and joy, it’s $400, and we’re a military family. We don’t have the money to spend $400 on LEGOs,” Mikelle said in the video.
After posting the picture above on social media, a German friend of the family created a Go Fund Me, raising money for the Lego set that would make Ryan so happy.
“Within… probably three days, they had raised $700.”
The family ordered the LEGO set and surprised Ryan with it in the hospital.
Ryan’s love of LEGOs ran so deep that his wish with the Make a Wish Foundation was to go to LEGOland in Florida, though he was never able to fulfill it.
“To see his face and know that he was cared about was unbelievable. He was so thankful for everybody.”
Sadly, the hospital’s best efforts were not enough, and Ryan passed away when he was 6.
Orrefice and Gibson visited the Raffel family, posing as college students working on a project, and surprised them with a well-deserved all-inclusive vacation… To LEGOLand in Florida.
Check out the video above, You really won’t want to miss this one.
You can watch Kyle Orrefice and Jake Gibson’s other Give Back Films by clicking this link.
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— Elizabeth BeShears (@LizEBeesh) January 21, 2015
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