Dontre Fortune has only wanted one thing for his high school graduation — to attend a taping of The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
Now that dream will become a reality, after the show sent him tickets.
Fortune, in collaboration with students and teachers, launched a social media campaign on April 3 hoping that Ellen would see it.
Fortune spoke with a producer from the show. He said that the Skype meeting went very well.
"I told her absolutely everything about myself. It was so weird actually talking to a producer all the way from Burbank, California," said Fortune.
"It really did do a lot for me ... I actually gave her [my] impression of the late Robin Williams."
Watch Walkerville's developmental services worker Cindy Leduc surprise Fortune with the good news:
Fortune has an intellectual disability and is set to graduate after seven years at Walkerville Collegiate Institute in Windsor, Ont. He is recognized by his school community as one of Ellen's biggest fans.
"It's such a wonderful gift and pleasure. I just want to say 'thank you' to my wonderful class and my mother who supported me [in] the best way that they could," said Fortune.
His mother, Tijen Guney, said he first fell in love with Ellen after watching Finding Nemo.
"He was an Ellen fan when she [played] Dory. And then my mother used to watch Ellen regularly everyday, and that's when he started becoming a fan ... He loves her personality — the fact that she makes people laugh and she loves to dance," said Guney.
This is a better picture of Dontre! <a href="https://twitter.com/TheEllenShow?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheEllenShow</a> , Is there any way you can make a couple tickets available? I taught for 33 years. Dontre was the nicest and most polite kid I met in that entire time! <a href="https://t.co/k13bv6mJox">pic.twitter.com/k13bv6mJox</a>
—@garlickd13Guney can not fathom what it would be like for her son to have a face-to-face meeting with Ellen.
"Just having the opportunity to [see her from the audience] will be the experience that he needs. That's all that we're hoping for and nothing more," she said.
I'm going to be watching. And I think that Dontre's going to be just fabulous.- David Garlick, former principal
Former principal David Garlick said the support Fortune has received has been wonderful.
"I taught for 33 years and I was a principal for 14 years. In all that time, I never met anybody as kind and polite and just happy as him," said Garlick. "It's been very rewarding to see how active people have been on Twitter and how many people have responded to Dontre's fortune."
Like many students and staff, Garlick hopes to see Fortune featured on the show.
"I'm going to be watching. And I think that Dontre's going to be just fabulous ... I think he might end up being on the show again," he said.
Fortune will be attending the April 25 taping of the show.