Hugs for Hudson: touching story behind viral eclipse photo

PICKENS COUNTY, Ga. - It was the eclipse photo that took everyone's breath away: a mother sharing the moment with her unborn son. But now, almost exactly a year later, the baby in that viral picture is inspiring people in a new way.

For Nichole Carver, it's hard to believe it's been a year since her stunning eclipse maternity photo went viral.

"It took off. It was unexpected," said Carver.

And now the little boy at the heart of the image has a new online following.

"I know he's special. I know with every ounce of me and I just love to see how many people he's touching," said Carver.

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Hugs for Hudson, the Facebook page where thousands go to find updates on the nearly 11-month-old boy.

Carver said her son was about four months old when she and her husband started to notice something wasn't quite right.

"Fast forward we got a phone call...It's called Gaucher's disease," said Carver.

Gaucher disease is a genetic disorder and for children like Hudson, it usually proves fatal before their second birthday.

"The day we found out, we were devastated," said Carver.

But Carver said family and friends quickly stepped up to help in any way they could. The Pickens County community hosted fundraisers to help pay for treatments at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and doctor visits out of state.

Carver is grateful to the people who have reached out to her little boy, but she's also amazed at how sharing his story has helped others.

"No matter what he goes through, he always smiles. He always smiles and I told him the other day, I said, 'Hudson, you're stronger than mommy is.' and he is," Carver shared.

And she has faith, both in God and her son, that his story is far from over.

To keep up with Hudson’s journey visit his Facebook page or if you’d like to help him, visit his GoFundme page.