Kelsey Patton is an 18-year-old from Champaign, Illinois. Her little sister, Kinley Montgomery, recently turned 6.
On Saturday, Kinley's family threw her a birthday party. However, only one other girl, Jayla, showed up. Kelsey shared a picture to Twitter of her sister and Jayla waiting for others to arrive.
my little sisters birthday party is today & only one girl showed up ☹️
The photo quickly went viral, with the post being retweeted over 11,000 times. Twitter users started to send Kinley birthday wishes and some even asked if they could send her presents and cards.
@dirtyjauregui that's awful! Hope she still had a nice time!
@dirtyjauregui can I send her a card?
@dirtyjauregui I'm on my way
Kelsey told BuzzFeed News that Kinley's other friends had RSVPed but didn't show up on the day. When Kinley asked her family where her other friends were, they told her they were all sick.
now that it's over she's getting sad & asking why her other friends didn't come
"My mom and grandma rented out the bar of a bowling alley and set up a table with her cake, balloons, silverware, ice cream, and little gifts for the girls who were going to come," she said. "All of it was princess-themed."
@milakilam thank you so much😭😭 she's so confused on why "so many people are telling her happy birthday"
Kelsey said that despite the lack of guests at the party, Kinley still had a great time with Jayla.
for people who really think i'm lying.. i just didn't wanna post this because she looks sad but here she is w her n… https://t.co/sdfsKhPUSS
"They were waiting for their friends to come but they never did so after about 30 minutes we decided to go in and start the game of neon mini golf," she said. "They held hands and laughed and had a good time. They played in the arcade as well and got prizes with the tickets they won together."
@dirtyjauregui They're friendship is going to last such a long time ! That is a true friend, hope they remember this
She said she had shown Kinley some of the messages sent to her, but she doesn't really understand why so many people are being so kind to her. Her family are hugely appreciative of the response, though.
@dirtyjauregui i know that this was yesterday, but please show her this:
"My grandma especially has been blown away by the support online. We're all very grateful and I'm excited for Kinley to receive all the cards that are being sent her way," she said. "She deserves the world."
i appreciate you all so much ive been telling her all the birthday wishes & it's made her feel a lot better thank you thank you thank you