(PHOTO AND STORY: KHQ.COM)
There's a reason why 11-year-old Mason Allan has a face filled with excitement.
Mason's mother sent out 12 invitations but the friends he invited did not show up.
"The night before, I was a mess because he was having a break down. Nobody is coming. I should just cancel," said Mason's mother Danielle Thomas.
That's when Mason decided to hand deliver an invitation to the local fire department hoping they would come.
"At one point he remembers talking to the firemen and them saying 'We are always your friends,'" Danielle said.
Mason struggles daily with moderate autism spectrum disorder, which includes social, communication, and behavioral challenges.
"I have lots of energy in me 24/7, so I like to play soccer and Legos," Mason said.
But that doesn't make him different from any other 11-year-old boy: The more friends, the better.
True to their promise - the firefighters were happy to fill in the extra chairs at his birthday party.
"When they really came in and asked for Mason, we were all just in shock," said Danielle.
Not one, but two fire trucks pulled into the parking lot filled with firefighters from Spokane Valley's District 8 firehouse; ready to celebrate Mason's birthday....
"To me it mattered a lot how they actually came and didn't just ignore it and put the invitation in the trash," Mason said.
Mason's birthday was a success, and it was this small gesture that had a big impact on Mason and his family.