Strangers donate thousands to help pay for sick boy's cancer treatment after his dad's viral reply to accidental text

Strangers have been raising money to help a little boy with cancer after his dad's viral reply to a text he was sent in error.

The donations started flooding in after Tony Wood roped in the help of his other children to give feedback on a piece of clothing worn by a lady he'd never met before.

The woman, named Syd, accidentally sent the father-of-six from Tennessee two photos showing herself dressed up in a full-length gown.

Not wanting to leave her hanging in the changing room, Tony complimented Syd on her fashion choice.

'I believe this message was intended for someone else. My wife isn't home, so I couldn't get her opinion, but the kids and I think you look stunning in your dress,' he responded.

'You should definitely go with that one.'

Tony accompanied his words with a picture of his brood giving the dress the thumbs up.

Tickled by the conversation, Syd's friend decided to post details of the exchange on Twitter.

Mandi Miller told her followers: 'Syd accidentally sent pics of her dress to the wrong number and this was their response 😂.'

As the status started to gain traction, Tony contacted Mandi to ask if she could help with a very special request.

'Hello! Apparently you have made my children Twitter famous! My 2nd youngest (not pictured, he was at chemo clinic) has a FB page for his fight against Leukaemia and one of our Prayer Warriors recognized the children,' he said.

'Btw, my wife agreed that the dress looked great! God Bless!'

Soon after a link to his 4-year-old lad Kaizler's Go Fund Me page was shared, the family saw their target of raising $10,000 to help pay for the youngster's treatment surpassed.

The total raised currently stands at over $33,000 and Tony has since taken to Twitter again to express his gratitude.

'The kindness and generosity of Twitter and other venues saw our GoFundMe account surpass our goal last night! I can't begin to thank everyone enough,' he exclaimed.

'This is a major hour of need for us and this blessing will help more than you know! God Bless all of you!'