Windsor boy gets surprise of a lifetime from local TikTok star
A 10-year-old Windsor boy who recently lost his father and grandmother got a surprise visit and special gift from Windsor’s most popular social media influencer, Zachery Dereniowski.
The interaction was filmed over a few days and posted to social media under Dereniowski’s online moniker, MD Motivator.
In one of the videos, he meets with Dougie Hannan, whose father passed away in August and then his grandmother in December.
“When my dad passed, we didn’t get that much money,” said Dougie.
“You lost your dad recently?” asked Dereniowski.
“Yea, and my grandma. It’s just a normal occasion, everybody dies sometimes.”
Dereniowski was touched by Dougie’s story and surprised him with a new basketball, a basketball net, tickets to a Detroit Pistons game and $500 cash.
“My dream is to be like a basketball player,” said Dougie before seeing the gifts.
Dougie told Dereniowski that he’s going to give the $500 to his mom so the family can buy groceries.
But the 10-year-old doesn’t have a passport and couldn’t accept the tickets for the Pistons game.
A week later Dereniowski showed up at Dougie’s school with an even bigger surprise.
“What would you do if i told you your mom doesn’t have to buy groceries for 3 years?” he said in the video, which has been viewed online more than 25 million times.
Dereniowski handed him a letter with $30,000 which he crowd-funded from strangers on Go-Fund-Me.
But it didn’t stop there.
“Open this, you ever been on a plane before?” Dereniowski asks Dougie, which which he responds no. “You’re flying tomorrow to Toronto!”
Dougie, along with his mom and Dereniowski, flew to Toronto shortly after, to watch the game, meet players beforehand and get a signed basketball.
Dougie soaked the moment in, quipping “This is the best day ever!”
After the video went viral, Dougie became an overnight celebrity at his grade school.
Despite his recent struggles, he’s grateful his story is helping others.
“It makes me happy because I'm putting smiles on people's faces,” Dougie said. “I'm making them feel like I'm there helping them through like if they have troubled times.”
And Derenioswki is just happy his videos promote kindness, get a conversation going between people about what hurts in life and inspire others to take action.
“To make it a better experience to share is beyond meaningful,” Dereniowski said. “It's more important than the money and just as important as the experience that he had going to Toronto that day.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.