Teen, hoping to raise awareness of terminal disease, wants 100,000 birthday cards

Jacob Priestley has a special wish for his 15th birthday. He's hoping to get 100,000 cards.

The Arizona teen is doing it to raise awareness for Mitochondrial disease, which he has. Mitochondrial diseases result when mitochondria fail to create energy for cells in your body. There are a diverse set of symptoms including seizures, strokes and severe developmental delays, according to the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation.

For Jacob, it means he is bed-bound. The disease, which has no cure, shuts down parts of his body, reports ABC15 in Phoenix. But Jacob's family has a positive attitude about it all.

"We're just going to put a smile on our face, go through life, and say--throw what you got at me because we got each other. We'll get through this," his dad said.

Jacob turns 15 on August 28, and he's already receiving cards. His family posted on Facebook that Jacob will be happy no matter how many cards he gets, "but he would LOVE to reach that goal!"

As for Jacob, he's already in awe of the response.

"It's amazing. I don't know how to explain -- it's heartwarming," Jacob said.

If you would like to participate, send a birthday card to:

Jacob Priestley

P.O. Box 855

Queen Creek, AZ 85142