The Success meme kid has saved his dad’s life!

Fist punch of joy all over again!

Success kid meme

by Seamus Duff |
Published on

The internet success meme baby has more reason to feel triumphant – his inadvertent fame has helped save his father's life.

Everybody remembers the face of little Sam Griner – although probably didn't know that was his name – as a photo taken by his mum went viral eight years ago.

Back then, and when Sam was aged 11-months, mum Laney took a snap of him making a fist of his hand and with an expression of absolute determination.

The picture ended up spreading worldwide, with countless people using the image to convey success – with the snap still being used to this day.

However - in the years since, Sam's dad Justin fell seriously ill.

The tot's dad inherited a disease that began attacking his kidney in 2006 – and by 2009 he began to experience complete kidney failure.

A temporary fix was the use a dialysis machine – which connects directly to the body to replace kidney function artificially.

But the family worried that the medical expenses for Justin to have his liver replaced with that of a donor would be too much.

When Justin was told he required a new kidney last year, he faced the prospect of a $75,000 (£60,000) hospital bill in order to receive the life-saving treatment.

The family started a GoFundMe campaign to help raise money for the operation – and that's where Sam's internet fame came into play. The lad took photos alongside his bed-ridden father as they both recreated the famous fist-punching stance.

And remarkably the internet responded with incredible generosity and the Griner family totally smashed their target – hitting in excess of $100,000 (£80,000) within days!

Justin received his life-changing surgery in August last year and now is in good health.

Wife Laney updated on Facebook that he was able to walk and laugh within twelve hours of surgery – and Justin gave a pretty upbeat update himself.

"I did a total of 10 laps around the floor today and sat in a chair for all 3 meals!" he wrote shortly after his procedure.

Going into possible TMI territory, he continued: "Also, my new kidney has produced a ton of urine already! I'm not sure if that's cool or gross. But, there it is!"

He has since made a full recovery.

We love a success story!

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