Oklahoma Veteran Creates One-Of-A-Kind 'Iron Man' For Terminally Ill Florida Boy

With a terminally ill 8-year-old son, one mother took to Facebook in hopes to brighten up his birthday.

She lives in Florida, but found an artist hundreds of miles away. What she got was so much more than a smile. News 9's Justin Dougherty has the story of a toy that brought complete strangers together.

JB Falkner may be just like every 8-year-old boy in the fact that he loves his super heroes. His favorite of them all -- Iron Man.

"Has the little rockets irons on his arm and on his chest,” said 8-year-old JB Faulkner about his favorite superhero.

If it isn't his manners that make him unique, it's the challenges he's faced. JB is diagnosed with spinal bifida, restrictive lung disease and in 2011 doctors had to amputate both his legs.

Through it all, his mom Danielle has only known him to be a fighter.

"With his condition he could go to sleep at any time and not wake up and he's always been a fighter since day one," said JB's mom Danielle.

That's why JB is her super hero.

"I look up to my son. I wish I was more like him. I wish I had a better outlook on life like he does," said Danielle.

Just like every super hero Danielle figured her son needed his own action figure. So she set out online to find one for his birthday. But what she didn't expect was to find another superhero in Oklahoma City.

"This is where the magic happens is what I try to tell myself," said Eli Dixon about his studio.

Eli Dixon served nearly 10 years in the U.S. Marines with three tours overseas. Now a disabled vet, Dixon recreates toys as personalized collectors' items.

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Ninja turtles turned athletes. A Minion turned Spiderman. Requests for his work can at times fill his entire inbox. And the email from Danielle was one that stood out.

"She was wanting a price quote on something, like something special, something to put a smile on his face," said Dixon.

JB then got a surprise in the mail. Dixon created a one-of-a-kind “Ironman JB.”

"He's unique in his own ways so I feel like this pop doll is a way of showing how unique he is. You're not going to find this anywhere else. You're not going to find an iron JB nowhere," said Danielle.

"I didn't know what it was until I saw the face and I was like, ‘No way!'" said JB.

Because this reaction is priceless, Dixon couldn't put a price on the toy. So he gave it JB for free.

"I think when you have a gift or an ability to reach out and help somebody else you take it, every chance you get because if the tables were turned you'd be just as appreciative,” said Dixon.

"I was speechless. I started tearing up and started crying,” said Danielle, "He's my little Iron Man, he will fight the darkest fight for mommy and all the bad guys for mommy. He's proved us wrong many times, especially when the doctors say he shouldn't be here."

JB's fight isn't over. He calls this year a “life changing year” because he's facing a handful of surgeries in the coming months.