Photographer Benjamin Von Wong came out from behind the camera to surprise a chronically ill fan.
Tyler Grace, an aspiring photographer who suffers from fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis and nerve damage, sent Von Wong a thoughtful message thanking him for the inspiration to become a photographer.
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In February, Grace's sister messaged Von Wong, asking for a short "Happy Birthday" video message to celebrate Grace's 21st birthday. But Von Wong decided to do something more significant. He flew from Singapore to Australia, delivered himself in a box and took Grace on an unforgettable adventure.
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Von Wong ran into some trouble, though -- to pay for the trip, he needed to book a conference in Australia, but he still wanted to keep it a secret from Grace. So Von Wong created a private Facebook group and spread the word to a few dedicated fans.
After the unboxing, Von Wong took Grace to a lakeside photo shoot, rodeo, canoeing trip. At the conference, Grace shared his story with other fans, detailing the "epic Von Wong photo shoot" in an abandoned brickworks.
Von Wong also convinced a few of his friends to tag along and document the experience and create a wonderful video memory for Grace, and to inspire others.
Von Wong shared more of his thoughts and feelings of the experience on his blog, saying: "I think it is projects like these that truly give meaning to what we do as creatives. What use is all the fame and popularity that is accumulated over a lifetime if it can’t be put to use and change the world for the better?"
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