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Man Raising Awareness For 22Q Syndrome Receives Messages From Around The World

BOSTON (CBS) - It's a unique Christmas wish from a talented young man, to receive Merry Christmas messages through Twitter, from people all over the world. And you guessed it, that wish has gone viral. Justin Gigliotti is asking not only because he thinks it's fun. It's primarily because he wants people to become aware of his disability.

"Hey guys. My name is Justin from Boston, Massachusetts," the 23-year-old said in the Twitter video he posted just three days ago. Justin is asking people to send him a Merry Christmas message. It's already had 2.7-million views. "I want to change the world. I want to bring positivity to the world," he said.

Justin Gigliotti
Justin Gigliotti (WBZ-TV)

Justin's not just fishing for an online, feel good moment. He wants people to know about his disability, caused by something called 22Q. "I bet a lot of people with disabilities don't share what they have, but that's my goal, to change that," Justin explains.

22Q Syndrome is caused by a missing piece of the 22nd chromosome. Justin has a host of medical issues including congenital heart disease, and learning and speech problems as well. "But it doesn't stop me from trying to raise awareness," he said.

So through his post Justin explains his disability. The response has been overwhelming. The video has at least 33,000 thousand shares and 18,000 Christmas messages including from Ellen Degeneres and Mariah Carey. "This is what I want, to bring the community together with something like this," Justin said.

And it's all happening with: #MerryChristmasJustin. "Don't be scared to share your story, don't be scared to, because at the end of the day, a lot of people will want to hear you," Justin said.

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