If there’s anything in this world that 7-year-old Danny Sheehan loves the most, it’s “Aquaman.” So when he recently got an action figure of the character as a gift, the boy couldn’t help but let out the most joyous reaction.
For a kid, there’s nothing like the feeling of being gifted with their favorite toy. A moment like this is usually met with squeals of joy, and it’s no different for this adorable boy from Marshfield, Wisconsin.
“Oh my God! My favorite one! I LOVE AQUAMAN!” Danny shouted upon opening his present during a recent family photo shoot.
A few days later, Danny got an even bigger surprise: a call from Aquaman himself!
Jason Momoa FaceTimed with Danny after he learned of the boy’s story and his reaction to the Aquaman toy.
“Hi Aquaman,” Danny said during the call. “I’m so excited.”
“Hi Beautiful boy,” Momoa responded, smiling. “I’m excited.”
Momoa called Danny and posted a video of their conversation on his Instagram.
“I have been hearing about you all over, from all of my friends,” the Hollywood star said. “And I wanted to call you and say hi and see how you’re doing.”
Danny asked him about his sea adventures and showed him his most prized possession: his Aquaman action figure.
“I’ve been riding on dolphins and it’s super fun,” Momoa answered him. “We should try it sometime.”
The actor said he would give Danny one of his tridents. What’s more, he invited him to the filming of “Aquaman 2” in London next year. That’s bound to be exciting!
Danny’s energy and joyful demeanor is made even more admirable, considering that he’s been battling a serious medical condition for two years now.
In January 2017, the boy was diagnosed with Pineoblastoma, a rare and aggressive type of brain cancer, and Leptomeningeal disease, cancer in the cerebral spinal fluid.
“It was a hard, hard, diagnosis. But he’s been amazing through it all,” Natalie Sheehan, Danny’s mom, said.
“We’ve been in consistent treatment without any form of break, of more than a week, since January 2017. Chemo multiple times, radiation, surgery, stem cell transplant, the list goes on and on.”
The journey has been difficult, and Danny’s parents found an outlet to help them cope: sharing their son’s story on Facebook. They also created the “4TheLoveofDanny” Facebook page to help other families dealing with cancer.
Their community has also been doing their part to help make Danny’s days worthwhile. Last summer, he was sworn in as an honorary Marshfield Police Officer. On November 1, the Board of Selectmen in their town declared the first week of the month “Danny Week.”
Most recently, local photographer Corey Taylor gifted the Sheehan family a holiday photoshoot. When the three of them showed up, they didn’t expect that Taylor would surprise Danny with gifts.
They also didn’t expect his reaction upon seeing the Aquaman action figure. But they’re glad that it was captured on camera.
“When Danny had that reaction to Aquaman I think myself and my husband were just shocked because it was so guttural and pure. It was so great to have Danny’s spirit captured so succinctly, it was just a true gift,” Natalie said.
“Every day has to count. Every day is special because there’s going to come a day when he’s not going to be here with us. I want to be able to look back and know that, not only did he impact our lives, but he impacted the lives of others.”
You can help the Sheehan family with Danny’s medical expenses by donating to his GoFundMe.
Watch the video below to see Danny’s reaction upon seeing his favorite hero, ‘Aquaman’.
