"Success Kid" Is 8 Years Old Now, and His Dad Needs a Kidney Transplant

If this baby's face looks familiar to you, you're not alone. "Success Kid" — a popular Internet meme — is actually Sammy Griner, now 8 years old. Sammy's dad, 39-year-old Justin Griner, has been in kidney failure since before Sammy was born and is in need of a transplant. Sammy is trying to raise money for his dad's transplant on GoFundMe, and due to his Success Kid Internet fame, he has raised over $10,000 of his $75,000 goal in just five days. Justin has been on dialysis for over six years, and his wife, Laney, told ABC News, "It's wearing on him. . . . I just want him to get healthy." The family is looking into living donors and has included a phone number on the fundraiser page for those interested in being tested as a donor match.

Laney has mentioned that though she chose to make the fundraising all about her husband by opting not to use the meme as the main photo behind the fundraiser, without Success Kid's popularity, they would not have been able to get the recognition to pull in this many donors so quickly. She said of the meme, "By now, it's just out there. What am I going to do? At least it's positive."