WWII veteran asks for 102 cards for his birthday, instead receives thousands
PARAMUS, New Jersey (WABC) -- A WWII veteran celebrating his 102nd birthday received a surprise bigger than he could have wished for.
Michael Diederich asked the public to make his wish come true of getting 102 birthday cards for the big day, but he actually received closer to 3,000.
He spent Wednesday celebrating his birthday at CareOne Management.
Some of the cards came from as far away as England and Ireland.
He said he's always had a soft place in his heart for cards - especially ones with dogs on them.
"Well it started off when somebody asked me how many cards would you like, and I said 'oh I'd like one from every year of my birthday,' so that was 102 cards, but I've gotten a few more than that," Diederich said.
He credits his long life to eating well and having a wonderful wife.
----------
