Bullying victim gets superhero birthday surprise after no one shows up to party
May 2, 2018, 11:14 PM | Updated: 11:42 pm
MURRAY, Utah – It has been four years since Joshua Walker has had a birthday party. The 12-year-old was heartbroken after the “friends” he invited to his past parties did not show up.
“It was hard, and it made me not want to throw parties anymore,” Joshua Walker said.
This year was going to be a lot different. It started with a photoshoot Walker was invited to be a part of by Utah photographer Josh Rossi. The theme: empowering 15 kids, all victims of bullying, by turning them into Avengers superheroes. Walker was dressed as Star-Lord from Guardians of the Galaxy.
“It was a great experience not only for me, but for the other kids who had gone through bullying,” Walker said.
This group of pint-sized superheroes were seen around the world in the photos. It sparked an idea for Nadia Walker, Joshua’s mother, about his 12th birthday party.
“If it weren’t for the photoshoot, I would not have met all these superheroes who are helping me with Joshua’s surprise birthday,” Nadia Walker said. “He’s been through a lot over the years and he deserves this.”
On Tuesday night, dozens of new friends dressed as superheroes, flooded Murray Park and surprised Joshua with a superstar welcome.
“We are just doing this for him because the other years, the past are not very good experiences for him,” Nadia Walker said.
The surprise was a success, and Joshua was given his Star-Lord costume to wear from pictures with his new friends.
“I haven’t had a party in a long time, so it felt really good,” Joshua Walker said. “It just shows me that there are good people out there. This has taught me to be nice to everyone, because everyone is a human being no matter who they are, no matter their race, gender. We’re all the same.”