No one on the guest list was present at her 3-year-old daughter's birthday
Breanna Strong, a 27-year-old mother of three from Salt Lake City, Utah, gained attention on TikTok after sharing a heartbreaking story.
She disclosed that her daughter Avery's birthday party had no attendees, despite extending invitations to 27 people, with 13 of them confirming their presence.
Breanna expressed how devastated she felt for her child, who had to sit and eat her pizza by herself. She didn't hold back in expressing her disappointment towards the parents who did not attend the event.
The child's birthday was celebrated at an indoor playground in Utah
The mother-of-three recounted her elaborate plans for what she believed would be a grand celebration for Avery at KidsTopia Playground in Utah.
This indoor playground, described as a 'jungle-themed' venue, has impressive features such as giant slides, ball pits, and tunnels.
With high hopes, she made preparations for the celebration, including ordering pizzas, an intricately designed Frozen-themed cake, and a variety of other delightful treats.
Anticipating the attendance of at least some of the 27 kids she had invited, she aimed to create a memorable experience for everyone involved.
"I created my invitation and sent it to multiple friends, with responses of, “We will be there,” “Can’t wait, the kids will be so excited,” etc.," she recounted.
"I even created a Facebook event. I invited 13 different families, with 27 children amongst them all.
"The day before her birthday party there were seven families who had RSVP'd saying they were coming. I was accounting for 13 kids to come."
Some families unexpectedly changed their plans at the last minute
However, Breanna's excitement quickly turned to disappointment when she woke up on the morning of the party only to find out that three families had changed their RSVPs from 'going' to 'not going' at the last minute, without providing any explanation.
This sudden change left her puzzled and disheartened, as she had expected those families and their children to be part of the celebration.
Despite the setback, Breanna took little Avery to Kidstopia as planned.
However, upon their arrival, they discovered that no one else was there. Breanna then reached out to the people who had previously confirmed their attendance to ask where were they.
As time passed, Breanna's hopes began to fade away as nobody showed up or responded to her messages after 15 minutes
Overwhelmed with sadness, Breanna recounted, "'I was completely devastated watching my daughter sit alone while eating her pizza. We didn't even cut her cake. It broke my heart."
Breanna admitted that, despite her deep disappointment, her daughter was still able to enjoy herself at the indoor playground, unaware of the circumstances surrounding her because she was still so young.
"I know my daughter didn't know the difference," Breanna shared. "She still got everything she wanted."
Breanna admitted that, despite her deep disappointment, her daughter was still able to enjoy herself at the indoor playground, unaware of the circumstances surrounding her because she was still so young.
"I know my daughter didn't know the difference," Breanna shared. "She still got everything she wanted."
Due to the last-minute cancellations, Breanna was still forced to pay for the party according to Kidstopia's cancellation policy, which required cancellations to be made at least 24 hours in advance.
However, she expressed gratitude towards Kidstopia, as they kindly charged her for the smallest package, priced at $200, instead of the larger one she had initially booked.
Sharing her perspective, Breanna mentioned that she finally knew who her true friends were
Before sharing the incident on TikTok, she vented her anger on Instagram Stories, which led some of the invited parents to apologize. However, at that time, she wasn't receptive to their apologies.
"I received messages from those who were invited informing me, “It was an awful morning with the boys,” or, “I’m so sorry. We forgot,” or, “I wish we could have come! The kids aren’t feeling well.”
"To me, it was very careless of the parents who were invited. I sent texts, posted the event on Facebook several times, and even made a post on Instagram about how excited Avery was about her party tomorrow.
"It’s a lot of time, effort, and money to set up special events for anything. RSVPs are not what they used to be. I also feel like parties have unfortunately died out during COVID. I’m still disappointed in what happened but I know there is always next year."
People from around the world have been sending their love and support to Avery
Breanna then shared a video on TikTok about her heartbreaking story, which unexpectedly went viral, garnering over 6.4 million views in just a few days.
She expressed her surprise at the video's popularity and mentioned numerous kind messages were given to her daughter.
"I have had several hundred messages asking about how people can help make Avery’s birthday special,' she concluded.
"People have been asking for an Amazon wish list to send gifts, I had a family ask if they can send us to Disneyland, and impersonators who dress up as Elsa from Frozen [want] to FaceTime with Avery to wish her a happy birthday.
"I wish I could give her the world because she most certainly deserves it, but instead of only 27 friends wishing her a happy birthday, thousands of people across the world have."
Breanna expressed her gratitude for the overwhelming response, stating that instead of just 27 friends wishing Avery a happy birthday, now thousands of people across the world are sending their well-wishes.
