Parents collect stars for toddler battling rare brain disorder

The parents of a little boy battling a rare condition have come up with a unique way to share his story and show much he is loved. They hope to collect 20,000 stars for his second birthday next week.

Liam Stine, also known as "Liam the Brave," suffers from progressive cerebral atrophy. His parents say the condition causes his brain to shrink as the tissue and cells die.

As Liam prepares to celebrate his second birthday, his parents have asked people to grab some paper and scissors and use their creativity to create stars.

In the month since the campaign for the stars began, they have received more than 17,000 from all over the world. Many of the stars come with letters of support and pictures of the people who made them.

"It's just cool to walk into his room at night and you look over there and here are these stars and it's like 20,000 people are helping to look out for Liam. It makes everything a little easier," said Michael Stine, Liam's father.

The Stines say their biggest goal now is to keep Liam comfortable, to see his eyes open wide and to get a smile.

The response has been beyond what they ever imagined.

"Even when he's gone, I can go in there and rifle threw them, have a good cry and just remember he's loved all over the world," said Sasha Stine, Liam's mother.

Liam's birthday is December 13. For information on how you can send him a star, or to read more about him, click here to visit his Facebook page.

According to his page, the mailing address for Liam is:

Liam Stine
PO Box 2781
Kennesaw, GA 30156