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While it can feel overwhelmingly challenging right now, there is a lot of good despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

That includes creative ways to celebrate special events, like a surprise prehistoric birthday party in Edmonton on Saturday for four-year-old David Ryzuk and his nine-year-old brother Joey.

The party almost didn’t happen.

“When we ended up going into all this isolation stuff where we couldn’t be close to each other, school got cancelled, I was pretty sad we wouldn’t have a birthday party,” explained mother Beki Ryzuk.

READ MORE: Red Deer emergency services surprise little boy on his birthday

With restrictions on gatherings top of mind, Ryzuk had to be creative when trying to organize some sort of party for her sons.

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“I ended up putting a post on a Facebook page to just ask anybody if they’d be willing to come and dress up in an inflatable dinosaur costume for the boys. We haven’t seen them in real life. We’ve only seen them on YouTube before. I thought it would be a fun option for them,” Ryzuk said.

The unique request gained traction online and eventually several dinosaurs answered the call.

“Owning one of these, my friend tagged me [on Facebook] and I thought… what a great excuse to go out, bring some cheer in this weird time and rock the dinosaur costume,” said Erica Berezanzki, who volunteered to wish the boys a happy birthday.

Several other dinosaurs also made the trip. Their visit included treats, a mini parade and singing and dancing.

From a distance, the family finally got the chance to see the extinct creatures in real life.

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“It’s amazing that so many people would give up their Saturday morning for two people they don’t even know, for my two boys. It’s really amazing,” said Ryzuk.