Tijn Kolsteren is no ordinary boy. The six-year-old from the Netherlands was diagnosed with brain cancer in May and is unlikely to live more than a year, but he hasn’t let that stop him.
He wanted to help other sick children and so set out to raise a few hundred euros for charity by daring people to paint their nails, make a donation to his page then challenge three friends to do the same. He appeared on a Dutch radio show with his father Gerrit to announce the idea; a similar premise to the Ice Bucket Challenge which raised funds for ALS.
The appeal, which ran for only three days, captured the imagination of thousands and surpassed Tijn’s wildest dreams – amassing 2.5 million euros (AUD$3.6 million) in donations.
Everyone from local celebrities to Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte got involved, posting their pictures on social media using the hastag #lakaan (meaning “the polish is on”). Eventually the term was trending on Twitter.
It was only last week Tijn’s family learnt chemotherapy has failed to reduce the size of his tumor.
“Despite this bad news, we wanted to do something for children who won’t maybe even make it to six,” Mr Kolsteren told Dutch radiot station NOS.
The Dutch media has dubbed Tijn a hero.
He appeared on the front page of tabloid newspaper AD as a superhero.
