When Jeff and Stacie Mockbee's son, Jacob, was born, they weren't sure how long he would live.
Jacob had Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus, and some doctors told the Mockbees their son might not live for longer than a year.
So recently, when Jacob turned 16, the Mockbees wanted to make his celebration extra memorable. They aimed to collect 1,600 birthday cards from well-wishers around the world.
Amazingly, by the time Jacob's birthday rolled around, the family had received some 4,600 cards. The Phoenix Suns and San Antonio Spurs had sent greetings. So did the Notre Dame football team.
"We never imagined it could be anything like this," Stacie Mockbee told Justin Schecker of KGUN 9 in Tucson. "We weren't sure we'd every reach 1,600 cards."
Jacob got cards from quite a diverse array of people. Food Network personality Giada de Laurentiis sent Jacob a signed card, and well-wishers from Italy, Sweden and Germany mailed in notes.
A huge Arizona Wildcats fan, Jacob was very happy to see a signed basketball from the school's basketball squad. Schecker told ThePostGame that Jacob also got cards from the Tim Tebow Foundation and the University of Memphis basketball squad.
"Oh my goodness," Jacob said upon seeing the thousands of notes wishing him a happy birthday. "Lots of birthday cards."
