Elijah Porter never thought his idea would become such a sensation.

The 10-year-old boy from Paradise, N.L., tried to raise the spirits of the men’s 4x100 relay team by writing an uplifting letter extolling the virtues of being Canadian and including the only medal in his possession.

His Timbits soccer medal for the bronze the sprinters missed out on when they were agonizingly disqualified on the final Saturday of the London Games.

The letter, and his medal offering, gathered national praise and the attention of a certain donut chain.

A spokeswoman for Tim Hortons said the company will give him another medal as a replacement, as well as a new bicycle.

“We’re really proud of him,” said Nicki Power. “As a token of his kindness, we of course are going to be replacing his Timbit soccer medal that he gave to the Olympic team, but we would also like to offer him a Tim Hortons 21-speed mountain bike in appreciation and hopefully he’ll get some good use out of that.”

Kim Porter, Elijah’s mother, said she doesn’t believe the attention her son’s heartwarming gesture has garnered will overwhelm him.

“Our son is a very unique child and he takes things in stride,” she said. “I don’t think it’s going to go to his head. I think he’s just going to be the same Elijah who loves nature and science.”

In his letter, Porter told the relay team to keep their chins up.

“We’re Canadians. We persevere,” he wrote. “We create better lives for each other. The cold didn’t stop us from living in the North. We didn’t lose the War of 1812. We adapt and survive.”

And, “I hope you like the medal!”

With files from Canadian Press

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