Drew Scanlon saw his life change when he became a viral meme on the Internet. But he didn't leave things there. In an amazing twist decided to use the meme to raise funds for the fight against multiple sclerosis.

You probably have seen this meme, which became a viral GIF on the Internet. The face of an astonished man as he blinked in disbelief. The GIF is known as "Blinking White Guy." The man's real name is Drew Scanlon.

The story begins in 2013 when the video editor and podcast host's reaction was caught on camera. But it wasn't until February 2017 that the meme went viral on Twitter, resulting in more than 50,000 retweets, according to data collected by the specialised site Knowyourmeme.

The Californian decided to use the popularity of this GIF for a good cause. He appealed to the generosity of Internet users by launching a donation campaign for research against multiple sclerosis, through the National MS Society.

"If this GIF has ever brought you joy in the past, I humbly ask you to consider making a donation to the National MS Society. It would mean a lot to me and to those I know affected by the disease!" he wrote on his Twitter account of September 12.

The post has been "liked" more than 24,000 times on the social network. At the time of writing, donations have already reached more than US$21,000 with a goal set at US$30,000 .

This isn't the first time Drew Scanlon has capitalised on his meme for a good cause. Since 2016, the American has been raising money to help multiple sclerosis research. According to several American media outlets, he has already collected more than US$154,000 thanks to this meme.

His devotion to the cause stems from his entourage: two close friends of mine and members of their families suffer from MS, a debilitating disease of the central nervous system that interrupts communication between the brain and the body.

"Millions of people suffer from MS and there is no known cure," he said on the donation collection site.

 - AFP Relaxnews