Image: Laney Griner
Shown above is the face behind a hugely popular meme. Called "Success Kid," the meme got its start in 2007 when mother Laney Griner posted the above photo of her son Sammy at the age of eleven months looking victorious during a visit to the beach. Sammy's photo went from MySpace to Reddit on the way to internet fame, and has been in regular circulation in the eight years since.
Yet today, the photo represents a story other than success in all shapes and sizes. Sammy Griner's father Justin is seriously ill and needs a kidney transplant. He was diagnosed with kidney disease in 2006, and in 2009 Justin experienced full kidney failure and began spending 12 hours a week on dialysis. Laney says that Justin can only survive for so long with artificial kidney filtering. Justin's mother passed away from the same disease.
The Griners have started a fund to help with the associated costs of Justin's medical condition. Learn more about their story and see additional photos here.