Gabby Douglas, Will and Kate among Facebook faves of 2012

By Lauren Sullivan, TODAY

From Talia Castellano, the terminal cancer patient who became an honorary CoverGirl, to Will and Kate’s official baby announcement and Gabby Douglas’ ear-to-ear smiles after earning Olympic gold, big news spread fast this year, thanks to TODAY fans. We've listed the 10 most "liked" TODAY posts below. Which tops your list?

1) Dream comes true: Cancer patient, 13, becomes honorary CoverGirl
Total likes: 897,746

Talia Castellano touched fans across the nation – and the Web – when Ellen DeGeneres announced the cancer patient would be featured as an honorary CoverGirl.

Desiree Castellano

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2) Thirteen-year-old boy, social media sensation, dies of cancer at 13
Total likes: 217,017

Fans showed their support after Lane Goodwin, known for his thumbs-up attitude toward fighting cancer, lost his battle with the disease.

AP / Brittney Galloway

3) Baby with Down syndrome lands swimsuit campaign
Total likes: 176,724

After 10-month-old Valentina Guerrero became the face of children's swimwear collection DCKids, thousands "liked" the news.

Joe Klamar / AFP - Getty Images

4) 'Batman' star Christian Bale visits victims of Aurora shooting
Total likes: 140,824

More than 140,000 people were touched to learn that the "Dark Knight Rises" actor had visited victims of the tragic movie theater shooting in Aurora, Colo., that took place on opening night of his film.

Denver Channel / Twitter

5) Moment of remembrance for 9/11 attack victims on 11th anniversary
Total likes: 123,566

"On this, the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, the nation pauses to grieve and reflect at Ground Zero in New York, the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania." – Savannah Guthrie.

Reuters / Gary Hershorn

6) NYPD officer buys boots for barefoot homeless man in Times Square
Total likes: 118,683

TODAY show fans helped make this photograph – depicting a NYPD officer giving a pair of boots to a homeless man – go viral.

Jennifer Foster via Facebook.com/NYPD

7) Gabby Douglas on Olympic gold: "I haven’t stopped smiling"
Total likes: 97,702

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Olympic fans (nearly 100,000 of them) joined Savannah to congratulate Gabby on her team’s all-around gold medal.

8) America’s sheriff, Andy Griffith, dies at 86
Total likes: 91,534

Thousands flocked to Facebook in July to say goodbye to America’s sheriff, Andy Griffith. The iconic actor died on July 3, 2012 at the age of 86.

CBS via Getty Images

9) Duchess Kate is pregnant with first child
Total likes: 63,235

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge announced in December they are expecting their first child, the future heir to the British throne. According to Facebook, fans are looking forward to the royal family's newest addition.

Getty Images

10) Cop who bought shoes for homeless man: I "really didn't think about the money"
Total likes: 62,795

Lawrence DePrimo, the cop whose heartwarming gesture toward a homeless man in Times Square touched millions (see No. 6), told Savannah, “I knew I had to help him.”