French man with Down's syndrome sent 30,000 birthday cards after Facebook appeal

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A French man with Down’s syndrome has received 30,000 birthday cards from around the world after a Facebook appeal from his mother.

The postal service reportedly had to use a lorry to deliver the mountain of envelopes and parcels sent to Manuel Parisseaux in Calais, which the family have had to store in a neighbour’s garage.

His mother, Jacqueline, decided to do something special to mark his 30th birthday and on 3 November, posted a Facebook status on her husband’s page.

According to local paper La Voix du Nord, it read: “I have a request to make to all my Facebook friends - my son Manuel is going to turn 30 years old on November 22 and he loves to receive postcards.

“He has Down's syndrome. I'm writing to ask you to take a couple minutes to send him a little card and to pass this information on to your friends so the chain doesn't get broken.

"I thank you all in advance for your gesture, which will make my Manu so happy."

The post went viral, sparking automated efforts by Facebook to shut down Lucien Parisseaux’s account believing it was an advertising scam.

Mrs Parisseaux had to create a new page under her maiden name for the appeal to continue and a trickle of cards soon turned into a flood.

On Saturday alone, her son’s birthday, 3,000 cards arrived along with chocolate, cakes and small presents from countries including Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, the US and Australia.

“We would never have imagined the impact that a simple internet message could have in a few days, “ Mrs Parisseaux told La Voix du Nord.

“We are surprised by this outpouring of generosity and messages of support and kindness. The world is not indifferent after all.”