Ex-marine climbs equivalent of highest mountain in the SOLAR SYSTEM for NHS
Image by: Simon Galloway
A former Royal Marine has climbed the equivalent of the highest mountain in the SOLAR SYSTEM to raise cash for the NHS.
Matthew Disney, 35, walked the height of a 74,000ft space summit called Rheasilvia - which is nearly three times higher than Mount Everest.
He took a staggering 147,000 steps as he went up and down a makeshift 3ft tall stone staircase he built in his girlfriend's front garden.
The crazy challenge is the latest one for Matthew, who hit the headlines last year by climbing Western Europe's highest mountain Mont Blanc with a rowing machine on his back.
The former Corporal from Blackpool, Lancs., said: "I love doing challenges to raise money for good causes and at a time like this there is no better one than the NHS.
"The work they are doing is incredible and as we find ourselves in these strange times I hope the money I raise can help get them some of the equipment they need."
Matthew, who served with the Royal Marines between 2006 and 2015, came up with the idea to do fundraising challenge last week as he endured the nationwide lockdown.
He said: "I thought I should do something fun and a bit different and then remembered reading about this big mountain in space called Rheasilvia."
The adventurer then set about creating a 'mini mountain' with five steps on each side, which he built in his girlfriend's garden using and turf and concrete slabs.
Image by: Simon Galloway
Image by: Simon Galloway
Image by: Simon Galloway
Matthew travelled 74,000ft, or 14 miles, vertically, however, the overall distance he walked is more than three times that, as he had to travel 9ft horizontally for every three feet of elevation.
Banners adorned with the letters 'NHS' and words 'stay at home' hung behind Matthew as he climbed to show the cause he was raising money for.
So far he has raised a whopping £12,000.
Speaking last night (Sat), after completing the epic challenge, Matthew said: "I am so happy with how much we have raised while also inspiring so many people, but at the same time very pleased to have achieved what I set out to do.
"I am going to sleep downstairs now for the next 24 hours as I now begrudge climbing the stairs to the bathroom."
For the past week Matthew has spent around 16 hours day going up and down the 'mini mountain', wearing full climbing gear every step of the way.
He said: "I think I have good mental strength and fortitude from my time with the Royal Marines, which serves me well when I'm doing something like this."
Matthew has been fundraising through challenges since leaving the forces in 2015.
Donate here: https://justgiving.com/fundraising/disneyrm-nhs
Almost an entire family have come down with coronavirus after it is believed 17 members caught the illness at a funeral.
Image by: Simon Galloway
Almost an entire family have come down with coronavirus after it is believed 17 members caught the illness at a funeral.
Sheila Brooks, 86, passed away last month and nearly all her extended family attended the service two weeks ago.
But within days her niece Susan Nelson, 65, who had no underlying health conditions, became ill, and died of suspected Covid 19.
Now 16 further family members all suspect they have the virus after catching it at the funeral - including Susan's husband, daughter, a niece and a great-uncle.
Retired sandwich shop owner Susan, from Halesowen, West Mids., even died on the same hospital ward as her aunt Shiela.
Susan's daughter Amanda, 34, is just one of a suspected 17 family members who are showing symptoms of Covid-19 after going to the funeral in Yardley Wood.
Image by: Simon Galloway
Image by: Simon Galloway
The NHS business support manager, currently isolating at home with her father, Robert, also suffers from Addison’s Disease.
Amanda, from Halesowen said: “It was my [great] aunt’s funeral so a lot of the wider family were there.
“She died back in February, but we have just had so many people contract the virus that I can only think it was from then.
“We now have someone else in our family in hospital that's probably not going to survive it.
“My 21-year-old cousin has it, right the way up to a great uncle that is 88 and is showing some symptoms.
“Its a whole section of us, none of us seems to have been missed out of it just yet. It's a bit strange.
“I would say around 17 family members have been displaying symptoms since going to that funeral. It’s hit young and old in our family.
“Our beautiful, caring mum was the centre of the family - we are a very close, large family and this has destroyed us.”
Sheila Brooks, was 86 when she passed away on February 9, with the majority of the extended family attending the service on March 13.
Susan got notably worse the following week, with the family forced into calling an ambulance.
She died at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham with her husband Robert, 67, at her side.
Her son Carl, 42, who now lives in Cleckheaton, Yorks., said: “She was coughing a lot, very breathless and showing all the traditional symptoms.
“She was admitted to hospital on Monday (23/03) and I spoke to the hospital staff the following day.
“They said the next 48 hours were critical before they called me back a few hours later to say it was very close to the end and one member of the family could be with her.
“Because I had none of the symptoms, I couldn’t go and my sister was too unwell battling the illness herself.
“People can end up dying on their own. Fortunately, my dad Robert was able to go and be with her when she died.
“She started showing serious symptoms on Thursday and being dead the early hours of the Tuesday morning shows how quickly this can escalate.
“I managed to speak to her on the phone when my dad got there and all she wanted was for me to come down.
“I had my suitcase packed ready to head down, but the hospital were telling me I wasn't allowed.
“I had to tell her they wouldn't let me and I weren’t allowed to see her. I didn't want her to die thinking that I didn't want to come.
“We have got to beat it and we can't have any other families to go through what we are going through at the moment.
“It’s about getting the message out. It's about seeing the faces of loved ones and thinking this is real.”
Image by: Simon Galloway
Image by: Simon Galloway
The family are unable to make funeral arrangements due to the government clampdown on mass gatherings.
Carl, one of the only members of the family without symptoms, said: “We have been told it may have to be limited to six people, but that could change.
“It's the practical things as well. All of my family are isolated, so I may have to drive down to pick up the relevant forms from the hospital to register her death.
“While I am doing all that, I won't be able to see my family, I will just have to drive back up north.
“It's not good and it's not right. I don't blame anyone, I totally understand the reasons why it has to be this way.”
Amanda and dad Robert, a retired electrical engineer, is still battling the killer bug but are “showing improvement”.
She said: “I still can't quite shake it off though. It's very up and down. For me, I feel okay in the mornings but by the afternoon you feel like it's come back again.
“The cough is still lingering and other symptoms, but hopefully we can keep improving. Fortunately, my dad seems to be getting better but my mum obviously didn't make it.
“The last person I thought it would take would be my mum. I was worried about my dad, who has underlying health conditions.”
The family are adamant that the wider public should follow the social distancing guidelines and to not do so is “madness”
“The speed it acts at is phenomenal and how vicious it is can't be underestimated,” her son Carl said “don’t be stupid and don’t risk it.
“Everyone, please follow the advice. Stay home, stay safe. Anyone who thinks they are fit and healthy, that it's just like the cold or flu, don’t risk it.”
In recognition NHS workers who tried to save their mum, the family have set up a Just Giving page with proceeds going to Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity.
Carl explained: “In the conditions, they are working under, it's phenomenal. My dad described it as a living hell.
“What they are facing on a day to day basis, no one truly understands or appreciates what they put into their job.
“If we can all just do something little that goes to them, that they can benefit from and just to say thank you, it would be great. My family are all grateful for the work they did.
“They couldn't save mum but they gave everything to do so and made her comfortable in the end.
“Even the follow-up conversations that I have had, despite how much pressure they are under, the doctor took the time to call me back and explain things to me.
“I couldn't ask for anymore. The fundraising page has exceeded our expectations already. The generosity of people has been staggering, even in these tough times.”
Amanda also echoed this, adding: “The ward that my mum died on was the same one that my aunt died on and the nursing staff instantly recognised my mum.
“I spoke to one of the nurses on the ward and it felt like her heart was broken. She was really, really upset.
“I just can't imagine what they were feeling as well, it will have been awful for them too.
“Mum would always see the best in people and take people under her wing. She became a second mother to my cousin Wayne.
“She was the centre of everything. All that went on in the family was communicated through my mum.
“She would pull everyone together, loved having a house full and seeing everyone. She was always laughing and joking. She will be sorely missed.”
You can donate to the charity here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/stay-safe
This fearless videographer shoots winter sports while skiing at 55mph
Image by: Alexander Rydén
Meet the videographer who shoots these stunning winter sports videos - while SKIING at up to 55mph.
Alexander Ryden is an action director, cinematographer and gimbal operator from Sweden.
He chases world class athletes down steep slopes with full-size cinema cameras - making the viewer feel immersed in the action.
Alexander said: "With a camera in my hands, I ski, jump and climb, next to some of the best athletes in the world.
"I follow them on adventures in the mountains, where few people can go to. I want to get as close to the real action as possible in the most extreme locations in the world.
"At the same time, I want to inspire people. To be outside and to see new possibilities."
Image by: Alexander Rydén
Image by: Alexander Rydén
Image by: Alexander Rydén
Alexander uses a rig called a gimbal - an electronic cage that stabilises the camera and costs up to $80,000.
"The image can be perfectly stable, even if I sometimes ski 100km/h," he said.
Alexander has worked with brands like Red Bull, Ford, BWM, Toyota, Peak Performance, Discovery, Huawei and Unibet.
He said: "I have to be at the right place, at the right time, at the right speed and keep the object in the camera frame.
"If I can’t keep up with the athletes I’m working with, it could be dangerous and potentially life-threatening.
"That’s why training and staying in shape is very important to me. I need the strength and endurance to be able to film the way I do.
"I know inside my mind, that sometimes a slight mistake could be catastrophic.
"That’s why I prepare myself, until I know I won’t do that mistake. I have been competing in both skiing and climbing.
“Some people are impressed and think it’s cool. While some say that I’m crazy and the things I do are dangerous. They say I should stop before I hurt myself.”
Video by: Gabriella Petty
Acrobats build the Ultimate Trampoline Playground in the middle of a container terminal!!
Image by: Domen Rozman
This is the moment a team of acrobats perform inside a trampoline sandwich - bouncing up and down between two trampolines while they are being driven along a road.
Dunking Devils is a troupe of daredevil gymnasts who perform gravity defying stunts around the world.
Their latest trick saw their team rig up a giant trampoline on top of a moving flatbed truck in a shipping container depot in Slovenia.
Another trampoline was suspended 50ft directly above the first - strapped to the bottom of a shipping container also travelling along a track.
Four members of the daredevil team bounced between the two while the truck moved along in last February
Image by: Domen Rozman
Image by: Domen Rozman
Image by: Domen Rozman
Other stunts performed with the help of Slovenian Railways involved the Dunking Devils Squad - Matevž Pogačar, 28, Gašper Novak,
26, Maks Veselko, 28, and Jan Žnidaršič, 23.
One of the acrobats, Gašper Novak, 26, from Slovenia, said: “This is another one in a line of successful projects with Slovenian Railways.
"We are very happy and grateful that they decided to support us in our endeavours once again, as this project wouldn’t have been possible without them.
“Jan Žnidaršič and I prepared all the plans and stunts for this episode, and we are really glad we managed to realise all of them.
“This episode was something special for all of us who played a part in its creation.
"Moving the containers around and stacking them atop one another felt like playing with LEGO - but massive ones.
“The experience was truly memorable and I look forward to many such projects in the future!"
Video by: Domen Rozman
Boy finds creative way to get his sporting fix during lockdown...
Image by: Anil Patel
A nine-year-old boy has found a creative way to get his sporting fix during lockdown - by playing badminton over the garden fence with his neighbours.
Adam Patel has been sharpening his game during the isolation period by rallying with the residents next door.
Dad Anil, 43, said his son had not been scoring with the unnamed couple, aged in their 30s - but the contest would get competitive.
Image by: Anil Patel
He filmed sports-mad Adam playing a point out over the fence - while pulling off some impressive trick shots.
Anil said: "[It] came about as Adam kept knocking tennis balls over. I suggested they play badminton which the neighbours duly accepted.
"Since then they have played everyday (bar yesterday) with the weather being so nice.
The neighbours are also working from home due to the current situation.
"There was no scoring - but it got competitive."
Anil and Adam live in Coventry, West Midlands.
Video by: Anil Patel
Watch hilarious moment man begins a drone journey to deliver toilet roll to his sister's house
Image by: Pete Farmer
A supermarket worker thought of an ingenious way to deliver some toilet roll to his sister - by using a DRONE.
Pete Farmer's job means he is right in the middle of the coronavirus panic-buying.
But that didn't stop him making sure his loved ones had the loo roll they needed.
The 48-year-old lives only two streets away from his sister, Debbie Brazier, and decided to send her the airborne package as a joke.
The video shows the drone limbering up for it's flight, which Pete describes as only a ten minute walk for him.
Image by: Pete Farmer
Image by: Pete Farmer
He works for Morrison's distribution centre and says keeping stock up is a difficult process at the moment.
"There is no shortage of toilet rolls or food, the warehouse is full and we are working long hours sending out supplies to the stores 24/7," Pete said. "There really is no need to panic buy, stock is plentiful."
Pete, from Northamptonshire, said his sister asked for toilet roll after his night shift.
"I sent it for a laugh and thought it was funny to send it over that way."
But Pete adds the social changes the Covid-19 pandemic has caused means his method might not be unusual for long.
"You never know in three or four months it might be the only way to send things. Drones could be the only way forward."
Video by: Gabriella Petty
This is the moment a man who has spent 13 years in a wheelchair took his first independent steps - after defying doctors and walking again
Image by: Liam Critchett
This is the moment a man who has spent 13 years in a wheelchair took his first independent steps - after defying doctors and walking again.
Liam Critchett, 24, was able to stroll unaided along his favourite childhood beach.
Doctors doubted he would be able to walk again after being diagnosed with spinal cancer aged 11.
The diagnosis saw him wheelchair-bound throughout his school years and spending the majority of his youth in hospital undergoing a whopping 50 operations to try and rid his body of the cancer.
But in January 2018 doctors told Liam his tumour started to grow back.
But now Liam is in his third year of intense physiotherapy and last summer took his first independent steps on a beach - the first time in over a decade.
He is now hoping to raise £13,500 to continue his private physio sessions to reach his goal of being able to walk again unaided.
Liam, from Scarborough, said: "Despite what I've been through and what I was told, I was just dead set on one day being able to walk again.
"Growing up I spent my time constantly in and out of hospital. I've had so many operations I've lost count but it's somewhere at the 40-50 mark.
"This past year has been incredible and I've made a lot of progress and want to keep that going.
"After years of hard work I was able to take my first steps outside on crutches.
"I also walked across the beach where I would spend my childhood summers.
"Not a lot of people will say this but coming home to find sand in your shoes and socks was quite a remarkable feeling. I haven't felt anything like that in years!
"I hope to show you can change almost anything through hard work."
Liam was diagnosed with a spinal cancer aged 11.
Image by: Liam Critchett
Image by: Liam Critchett
He started 14 months of chemotherapy but during the last cycle his body went into septic shock and doctors decided to stop.
He underwent two 14-hour operation to reduce the tumour and was fitted with spinal rods which had to be refitted every six months as he continued to grow.
In 2008, he was fitted with permanent rods but within six months they became infected and had to be removed.
Liam was then told he would have to have his spine fused, which stiffened his movement.
Liam said: "I remember I kept feeling very ill and kept waking up with bad headaches.
"At the time I was a really active and sporty person.
"I was really into football, tennis, cricket - I was always running about and seeming healthy.
"Then I started noticing I was struggling to walk so I was referred by the doctors to go to hospital and have a scan.
"I remember being with my aunt because my parents were in London but as soon as they were told they took a taxi to Leeds.
"At the time I didn't know what was going on but I remember them crying.
"It was just such a shock.
"The rods ended up causing a lot of nerve damage from my hips down and I had to keep going back up to Leeds for orthopaedic procedures and surgeries.
"When I had my spine fused it meant it wouldn't develop any curvature and made everything in a more fixed position.
"I managed to fight through and still sit my exams. I even made it to prom which meant an awful lot."
Image by: Liam Critchett
Image by: Liam Critchett
After finishing college, Liam started a full-time job as a tendering engineer and decided to take up sports again to help build his stamina so he could pursue a more intense physio course.
But during his road to recovery Liam was dealt another devastating blow in January 2018 when he told his cancer had returned.
Liam said: "For it to grow back ten years after being stable was just heartbreaking.
"It was extremely hard to take but with the support of my family and friends I got through it.
"Remarkably it was the first time I had made a full and speedy recovery.
"I continued with the high-intense physio plan which was great.
"I even had a football back at my feet for the first time in ten years.
"I was being pushed out my comfort zone but I knew I needed to do that if I was going to see any progress.
"Taking my first learning steps in an open space felt like a miracle.
"This was something doctors said I would never do again.
"This has made me determined to never give up."
Image by: Liam Critchett
Image by: Liam Critchett
Doctors performed a six-hour operation and Liam begun physiotherapy just four weeks later.
He continued his intense physio and became determined he would walk independently again.
Last summer Liam took his first steps on his hometown beach in just over a decade.
Liam said: "At the moment I'm 75:25 in terms of being in my wheelchair and walking on the crutches.
"It's more of a psychological thing to have someone nearby.
"But I managed to do it all myself.
"Not a lot of people will say this but coming home to find sand in your shoes and socks was quite a remarkable feeling. I haven't felt anything like that in years!"
Liam is now fundraising to continue physiotherapy costing £13,500-a-year.
He said: "I'm really pleased with my progress and continuing with the sessions will help to push my body to the maximum.
"Unfortunately due to the strain on specialist physiotherapists in the NHS and the sheer amount of patients they have to attend to the help I need isn't available on the NHS.
"My walking technique is improving during every single session.
"Last summer I was able to take outdoor walks unaided.
"Almost 11 years hometown beach every day of my childhood summer. It was a special moment for me.
"It has just completely boosted my confidence. I am just so grateful for those who have supported me in my progress. I would have never have got this far.
"My physios saying we are half-way through and everything going in the right direction.
"The best thing is hearing other people starting their own journeys after watching my videos."
To donate to Liam's Just Giving page visit; www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/liam-critchett
Video by: Gabriella Petty
Mum feared she'd die after she got trapped under her bed - for 13 HOURS
Image by: Claire Montello
A mum has told how her she feared she'd die after she got trapped under her bed -- for 13 HOURS.
Claire Montello, 39, pulled up her hinged Ottoman style bed to grab her MP3 player from the underbed storage.
The mum-of-three was reaching inside when the piston holding up the mattress failed - and the entire bed top crashed down on her arm.
She was trapped because she didn't have the strength in her one free arm to lift the bed up - and her phone was out of reach - and she feared she'd die.
Terrified Claire screamed and shouted to no avail and even had to lean on the bed - further compressing her arm - when her legs grew too tired to stand.
She was only set free when her husband Francesco, 61, came home from his night shift and lifted the bed up.
Image by: Claire Montello
Image by: Claire Montello
Claire from Grangewood, Chesterfield, said her arm was "flat as a pancake" but it then swelled up dramatically, before it "burst".
She spent two weeks in hospital where she endured four operations, and is waiting to see if she'll regain the use of her left arm.
Claire said: "I just can't believe it happened.
"I thought I was going to die.
'I had to keep making myself sick to keep the moisture in my mouth as a way to survive.
"I must have vomited about 40 times.
"Because the wardrobe was right next to the bed I couldn't even sit down.
"I knew Francesco wouldn't be back until the morning so I had no choice but to sit on the bed. I couldn't stand up for that long.
"I couldn't sleep through it I was in so much agony.
"I'm surprised I didn't pass out of the pain but I was and for the whole 13 hours."
Claire was home alone at 9.30pm on 23 January and went to get her MP3 from underneath her bed to listen to music.
Her MP3 player fell down a gap in the middle of her bed - which is split in half, with two sides which can be lifted up on a hinge near the wall, to access storage beneath.
She jumped off, lifted up one side, and was reaching under the raised mattress, when the bed smashed down on her arm - trapping it from the elbow down.
With her mobile phone out of reach and unable to lift the king-size bed up by herself, Claire said she thought she'd die.
She said: "I was screaming and shouting to get some kind of response but it doesn't help that I live next door to a 92-year-old man whose deaf.
"I could hear his TV.
"All the lights were on in my house so the chances of me getting some kip were nil.
"I had BBC News on loop and it was doing my head in. I was sitting there thinking 'Oh god not the sixth time I've heard this.'
"So it was quite hard taking my mind off what was actually happening.
"I had no choice but to go to the toilet there and then."
Staying awake throughout the whole night, it was only when care worker husband Francesco, 61, returned from an overnight shift at 10.30am she was finally set free.
"As soon as I saw Francesco it was the biggest sigh of relief," she said.
"He was swearing like anything. I just remember him saying: "Oh my f***ing sh**. What the f***?
"He then lifted it up as quick as he could.
"There was just this massive dent in my arm.
"Then it started swelling up like a football and just burst. It was terrible.
"I don't even know if I'll get full control of my left arm back. It's just a waiting game at the moment."
Image by: Claire Montello
Image by: Claire Montello
Husband Francesco added: "I just couldn't believe it when I saw her.
"I knew something was up when I walked in and all the lights were on and the TV was on.
"When I left to go to work she didn't seem ill so I thought it was weird she would have gone to bed without turning everything off.
"Then I saw her and I was swearing like anything. I just couldn't believe it.
"I lifted up the bed and when she got her arm out it was flat.
"I've never seen an arm go that flat before."
Claire was rushed to Royal Derby hospital and was kept in for a two week stay and underwent four operations.
Doctors performed a skin graft using skin from her thigh.
She had a muscle removed and doctors told her there is a 50:50 chance she will regain movement in her left arm, she said.
Claire said: "I'm now in absolute agony.
"I've got a splint on it and I can't feel anything.
"If that wasn't in there my arm would just be a floppy mess.
"I'm having to do everything with my right arm.
"I can't wash or do basic things by myself.
"I've had to get Franco to start tying my hair up. But to be fair for a first attempt he doesn't do a bad job.
"He's been absolutely brilliant. I don't know what I'd do without him.
"He's being going back and forth from work cooking me meals and looking after me.
"I want to thank the surgeons and the staff at Royal Derby hospital too. They've been great.
"I just can't really believe this happened.
"We bought it from a warehouse a few years back for £800 and have never had any issues.
"When I was in hospital Franco took a sledgehammer to it.
"There's no way we'll be using one of them again. We'll have to find somewhere else to keep our Christmas decorations.
"I just want to warn people about buying these kinds of beds.
"They can be death traps.
"If it were a kid they'd be locked in there like a coffin."
Video by: Claire Montello
Dad baked huge Cornish pasty to celebrate son's birth...matching exact size and weight of the baby
Image by: Tim Fuge
A dad baked a huge Cornish pasty to celebrate the birth of his son - matching the exact same size and weight of the baby.
Tim Fuge, 33, decided to take on the task after seeing a post online of another father using a pasty to demonstrate the measurements of his child.
It took Tim two-and-a-half hours to produce the 2.8 kilo (6.4lb) pasty after researching the method online and doing a practice run.
He said the hardest part was finding a tray big enough to cook on - discovering eventually that a grilling rack was the perfect size.
It then took him a staggering 19 hours to eat the 7,000 calorie Cornish treat - leaving him "absolutely stuffed".
The pasty - made to mark the birth of two-week-old baby Jowan - had a filling of beef skirt, swede, onion and potatoes.
Tim said: "I saw on Facebook that people are trying to make their own pasties as the bakeries and shops are shut.
"There was a picture of a bloke holding a pasty next to his baby to show how big it was. I thought: 'I can go one better'.
"I had never made a pasty before, apart from a couple of days before - but I had eaten plenty!
"I tried to work it all out. There's a Cornish Pasty Association website that gives you the ingredients.
"It came out bang up to how much the baby weighed when he was born.
Image by: Tim Fuge
Image by: Tim Fuge
Image by: Tim Fuge
"It was then in the oven for two-and-a-half hours while we went for our daily walk.
"I didn't have any breakfast that day and started eating it at lunch. I finished it the next day. It actually tasted really, really good.
"My wife was annoyed because it was nicer than hers! But I had to get her to do the crimping.
"I think it's about 7,000 calories - I tried to work that out from the ingredients."
Tim lives in Liskeard, Cornwall, with wife Jen, 32, and other sons Aiden, four, and Rory, two.
A self-employed lead worker, he hasn't been able to work since the coronavirus lockdown was enforced - giving him the time to bake.
He added: "I wouldn't have had time to do this if I was still working.
"It's been nice to spend some more time with the kids.
"I do like cooking, but I don't normally get a chance - I walk in the door and my wife has made it."
Jowan was born on April 4. Tim baked the pasty on Thursday (16th) - the baby's original birth date. It measured half a metre (50cm) in diameter.
Adorable moment a deaf and autistic boy who has 'no friends' received more than 700 birthday cards sent by strangers
Image by: Jon Mills
This is the adorable moment a deaf and autistic boy who has 'no friends' received more than 700 birthday cards sent by strangers across the world.
Mum Natasha James, 33, put an appeal out on Facebook to see if anyone would send Dylan a card for his ninth birthday.
He had to be taken out of school due to his condition more than a year ago and lost contact with other pupils when he spent nine months receiving treatment in London.
But Natasha, of Plymouth, Devon, said they were stunned by the mountain of cards that kept arriving through the post for him - even during the coronavirus lock-down.
The final tally was 714 and Dylan spent most of his birthday on Thursday (March 26) opening them up - with his mum filming his joyous reaction to it all.
She said: "Dylan spent a long time in London in hospital and has been out of school for over a year. He doesn't have any friends, which is horrible to say.
"I put an appeal on Facebook to see if anyone would send him a card.
"The response we had from strangers was completely overwhelming. People were contacting us saying they would like to buy him something and what sort of card would he want.
"They were absolutely brilliant. We thought we might get about 100, which would have made it very special. But the last count we had 714.
"They were still putting things through the door right up until his birthday and leaving presents on the doorstep."
Natasha said they had cards from as far away as Las Vegas and Australia. A chief petty officer in the Royal Navy, known as Bernie, also delivered a box of arts and crafts and 55 cards from all recruits at the navy barracks.
Image by: Jon Mills
Image by: Jon Mills
Image by: Jon Mills
She added: "We have been inundated with cards and little gifts. The appeal went live on Facebook four weeks ago and things started arriving the following day. The postman had to knock on the door every day and they had to come in a special van. Some days there were 10, other days there were 50.
"On his actual birthday (Thursday) we had 103 cards.
"We were stunned. I put the appeal up and just hoped for the best and thought some would be better than nothing.
"It is such a tough time for people at the moment and they are not meant to be going out.
"We thought it would really slow down with the coronavirus but people were still making the effort by posting them during their only exercise of the day and they continued to turn up.
"We are just so grateful that we are surrounded by such lovely people who were able to make Dylan's day so special.
"His birthday was tough. He is autistic and does not understand why he can not go out. He kept asking throughout the day, can we go out now and can he have a friend come over?
"Every time he did we just went back to open more cards. It took hours to go through them all.
"It certainly gave us something to focus on and made the day a lot easier.
"People are only allowed out once a day and to think during this time they wanted to post cards for my little boy was overwhelming. It means the world they were still making the effort for Dylan.
"You can see in the video he was totally overwhelmed. His reaction was brilliant. He didn't know where to start and was so intrigued to find out where they had all come from."
Natasha said Dylan had been out of school since February last year and had lost contact with everyone since. He spent nine months in London being treated and was now living at home with his three siblings.
She added: "He does not understand the situation so it has been difficult with him. But this meant the world to us.
"We will display the cards as much as we can in the front room and will be rotating them each day.
"It made a very difficult time slightly easier and we will be forever grateful to the kindness strangers showed to my little boy."
Video by: Ellis Wylam
