A mum made her son a handmade birthday teddy because she only had $2 in the bank - promoting kind strangers to donate $42,000 to her family.

Tiffany Holloway, 33, was devastated when a family emergency left her broke just weeks before her son Jonas' fifth birthday.

The ocean-loving kid had his heart set on a plushie stuffed manta ray teddy which his mum could no longer afford, so she got creative and crafted one from scratch.

The mum-of-four made an amazing replica from Jonas' old baby blanket, a pillow case, and a pair of buttons, and posted a pic on Reddit.

The post went viral and hundreds of people sent the family stuffed sea life toys - and one set up an online funding page which has now raised $42,465.

The family from McLoud, Oklahoma, is massively overwhelmed by the support - and has pledged a chunk of the money to charity already.

Tiffany said: "I often pinch myself to make sure that it's all real because I never imagined something like this could ever happen to us.

"I just wanted to do something nice for my son on his birthday when I couldn't do a lot else.

"When I saw the amount that people were donating, I decided to give ten percent to the Oklahoma Children's Hospital.

"A year ago they saved my youngest son's life so I knew that when I had this money I was going to give back to them.

"I gave a lot of the money to my eldest son so he and my mum could get a lease on a place in the city.

"I'm so grateful that I've been be able to help my family, but I was keen to spread that generosity to other local families who are struggling with similar issues.

"I hope my story inspires other young mums to never give up even when they don't feel like they have many options.

"It really is the thought that counts, and in this instance it's counted for more than I could ever imagine."

Thrifty Tiffany posted the photo of her creation in a Reddit forum for money saving tips around a month ago.

The post, which now has more than 67,000 likes, said: "My son wanted a stuffed manta ray for his 5th birthday but I didn’t have money to buy one, so instead I converted his old baby blanket into one!"

Soon, hundreds of readers were sending Jonas toy manta rays, squids, and other plush ocean creatures for him to enjoy on his birthday.

When the boxes arrived Tiffany says they were "taller than he was" and that their family home is now "submerged in cute cuddly toys."

But the fun didn’t stop there for Jonas and his siblings.

One generous reader, who wants to remain anonymous, contacted Oklahoma City Zoo and had them hold a $100 gift card for the family.

Tiffany then used this for admission, so that Jonas— whose hero is Steve Irwin—could see and touch some real sting rays.

Her good fortune continued when a stranger set up a fundraising page for the stay at home mum which has now surpassed over $42,000 dollars in donations.

Sea World have also reached out to offer them an all expenses paid vacation to Orlando, Florida.

Tiffany has been overwhelmed by the pure kindness of strangers and is determined to use the money to help other families.

The hospital which Tiffany is now supporting - handing over 10% of all the donations - has started the 'Manta Ray Giving Project' in honour of Jonas.

People can donate directly donate to the children's hospital and the cash will be used to provide stuffed animals for sick children and gas money for parents.