An Army veteran who lost his pension and has been working as a grocery store cashier became the beneficiary of an outpouring of generosity from around the world.
Ed Bambas never expected to become an internet sensation. The 88-year-old Army veteran has been quietly working five days a week, eight hours a day at a Meijer supermarket in Brighton, Michigan—not because he wants to, but because he has to.
Now, thanks to a viral video that has captured the hearts of millions, strangers from across the globe have raised over $1.8 million to help him finally retire.
Bambas was handed an oversized check for $1.7 million on Dec. 5, the result of over 15,000 donations ranging from $10 to $10,000.
“No, no,” Bambas said, wiping away tears in front of reporters when presented with the check. “Thank you. Oh, my God.”
Bambas thought he had done everything right. After serving in the Army in 1966 and spending decades working at General Motors, he retired in 1999, expecting a comfortable life with his wife, Joan.
But that security vanished in 2012 when GM went bankrupt. According to Bambas, as a former salaried employee, he lost his pension. The timing couldn't have been worse. Joan had fallen ill, and Bambas became her full-time caretaker.
“The thing that hurt me the most, my wife was real sick, and … when they took the pension, they also took the health care coverage and all but $10,000 of my life insurance. So I sold the house, sold property I had, and we made it through,” Bambas said in an interview with Samuel Weidenhofer, an Australian influencer that went viral on TikTok.
Joan passed away seven years ago after more than 50 years of marriage. Since then, Bambas has been trying to rebuild his life by first working at an Ace Hardware store, then as a cashier at Meijer.
Weidenhofer, who is known for spreading positivity, learned about Bambas from a comment on one of his videos. Knowing only sparse details, he booked a flight to Michigan.
Weidenhofer teamed up with Metro Detroit influencer Mike McKinstry to track down the veteran.
The resulting video, posted to Weidenhofer's account @itssozer, shows the emotional encounter. When asked about his dream, Bambas gave a simple answer: "To live somewhat of the life I was hoping for."
Weidenhofer handed Bambas $400 as a tip, and the elderly veteran could be seen holding back tears.
The video has since been viewed by more than 11 million people and amassed over 1.5 million likes and 53,000 comments as of Dec. 5.
Bambas, however, hasn't watched it himself.
Weidenhofer found out about Bambas situation after receiving a comment on his Facebook page from 26-year-old Lexi Wallace, who used to be a regular customer at Meijer, until she moved away.
“I thought his name was Bob. He never corrected me,” Wallace said. “I would love going to Meijer to see him.”
Weidenhofer said with the donations, Bambas will be able to pay off over $225,000 in debt.
“I am in shock how much has been raised. From the bottom of my heart thank you,” Weidenhofer said in an update on the fundraiser.
Bambas and Joan had two children together. In retirement, he plans to travel to see his brother and pick up golf again. He said he’s not quitting his cashier job yet, but eventually.
“I’ll probably work another month or two and shut things down,” he said.