A boy with autism said he wanted to make friends. Thousands of people sent wishes on his birthday

Daniel Harrison, who has autism, recently wrote down two wishes as part of his education, health, and care (EHC) plan — a UK government initiative that helps determine levels of support for young people with special needs. "Daniel, for the first time, was asked at his special needs school to write two things that he'd like to achieve," the boy's father, Kevin Harrison, told CBS News. "His first was learning to drive and the second thing – which surprised us – was 'make some friends,' because we didn't understand that he understood the theory of friendship."

While Daniel is still too young to get his driver's license, his second wish came true in spectacular fashion late last month when one of Harrison's tweets went viral on social media. "Daniel's my son. Profoundly Autistic. Hasn't one friend. It’s his birthday today. In his ECHP he wrote that his two wishes were to learn to drive and make friends," the doting father wrote in a tweet on September 28. "Please wish him a happy birthday. Please show him you care. Please share." What happened next made young Daniel's 15th birthday one he is unlikely to forget anytime soon.

Tens of thousands of strangers from across the world, including a few celebrities, sent birthday wishes for Daniel along with offers to be his friend. In a little over a week, Harrison's tweet gained more than 123.7K likes and has been viewed well over 14 million times. Mark Hamill, who plays Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars films, was one of many celebrities who responded to the tweet. "For my friend Daniel," he tweeted along with a GIF that says: "The force is strong with this one." Other big names who reached out include Russell Crowe, William Shatner, Sharon Stone, Ariel Winter, Jane Lynch, Kristen Johnston, journalist Jake Tapper, and activist Erin Brockovich.

"I'm sitting there thinking, 'What on Earth have I done?'" Harrison said of the overwhelming response to his tweet. "And a lot of that was down to Mark Hamill, from 'Star Wars.'" As for how Daniel felt about his new friends, his parents told The Washington Post he was overjoyed. "He was jumping up and down," Harrison said. Aside from celebrities, a number of parents with special-needs children also responded to the viral tweet on behalf of their kids. "He's got four friends in Minnesota and one with #autism whose name is Daniel too," tweeted Sheletta Brundidge, sharing a video of herself and her son. 

"Hey Daniel, this is my son Jacob, also autistic, on his birthday last month," wrote @SportsAngle along with a photo. "I'm sure he would love to be your friend if you met, provided you don't mind hearing a whole lot about superheroes. Hope you had a wonderful day." Harrison said that while he was shocked by the unexpected response, he knew why the story resonated with so many. "People want to be loved, don't they? People want to be liked. It's a universal feeling," he said. "I think it's a good news story because the whole world right now is polarized. Everywhere, there's no middle ground. Yet, we found with Daniel's tweet and the story that there's a lot of beautiful, lovely people in the world."

Although many asked to send birthday gifts to Daniel, Harrison said he requested them to instead "do something kind for somebody. I’m a strong believer that good deeds should be passed along." Taking his words to heart, several Twitter users revealed that they'd done a good deed in honor of Daniel's birthday. "I just paid for the order behind me at Starbucks," commented @ScarySkierNJ. "I donated to a local food bank," wrote @oneBlair.

Harrison, who is from Nottingham, England, revealed that Daniel is on the more severe end of the autism spectrum and refused to consume food for several years as a child. Although the teen is verbal, he only gives "standard responses" and finds it difficult to engage in conversation. Harrison explained that his son's wish shocked them "to the core" as children on the autism spectrum often want to play alone, and Daniel has never before expressed a desire for friends. "He has been through a lot in his 15 years," he said of his son. "He is a lovely, kind, sweet boy. He does not have a nasty bone in his body."

The grateful father now wants the countless folks who were touched by Daniel's story will remember one thing: "Don't ever feel like you're alone. Because I felt like that, and I know other families will. You're not alone. Just simply that, people do love you." He also hopes it will encourage people to be kinder to those with special needs. "If I have reached one person and made them look at another child differently, I've done my job," he said.