He’s writing out a large cashier’s check.
An 88-year-old Army veteran heartbreakingly revealed he works five days a week at a local grocery store to help pay his bills before kindhearted shoppers rallied to raise over one million dollars for his retirement.
Ed Bambas, a cashier at the Meijer store in Brighton, Michigan, lost his pension 13 years ago and is forced to work 40 hours a week — a full-time schedule — despite his age because “he doesn’t have enough income.”
“I retired from General Motors in ’99. In 2012, they went bankrupt and they took my pension away from me,” Bambas told Australian influencer Samuel Weidenhofer, according to a video posted to Instagram.
The octogenarian revealed he was comfortable in his retirement, with a home and stable financial footing, until he was left with nothing as his wife fell ill around the same time.
“The thing that hurt me the most was when my wife was really sick and when they took the pension, they also took the healthcare coverage and all but $10,000 of my life insurance,” Bambas said, fighting back tears.
To pay for the medical bills, Bambas sold his home and property just to “make it through.”
His wife of over 50 years, Joan, had expected “to live the life I was hoping for,” but she died seven years ago.
Bambas admitted he has to work and has been struggling “a little bit,” while trying to reestablish himself before finally getting the job at the grocery store 45 miles west of Detroit.
“Once my wife died, I didn’t have enough income to pay for this place or all the other bills I had accumulated because of my wife’s illness,” Bambas told WXYZ.
“It wasn’t hard for me to do it because I knew I had to do it,” he said. “I’m fortunate God gave me a good enough body to be strong enough to stand there for eight, eight and a half hours a day.”
Weidenhofer gave Bambas a $400 tip to help him out before opening a GoFundMe that has raised over $1.18 million as of Wednesday morning.
“It came out of the clear blue — I really truly mean that,” Bambas told the outlet.
The fundraiser has caught the attention of thousands of people, including musicians and wealthy Wall Street bankers.
“Commenting to spread this video. I also donated to you sir,” Grammy-nominated singer Charlie Puth. wrote on TikTok.
The top donation of $10,000 shares the same name as billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman.
Country singer Russell Dickerson was moved by the heartwarming video writing, “Doggggg this account is wrecking me.”
“Despite everything, Ed shows up every day with quiet dignity, strength, and perseverance. His story is a stark reminder that too many of our seniors, especially veterans, face incredible challenges just to survive,” Weidenhofer wrote on a GoFundMe.
“I’m opening a fundraiser to help Ed live the life he deserves to finally give him some relief, comfort and the peace of mind that comes from knowing he can enjoy his later years without constant struggle,” Weidenhofer said.
The “kindness” influencer hasn’t told Bambas the total amount raised, saying it will be revealed as a surprise.
The heartwarming video has been viewed over 5 million times on TikTok and has over 613,000 likes on Instagram, but Bambas has not seen it.
“I’ve never been on those programs. I don’t own one of those fancy cellphones. In fact, I still have a flip phone just to talk to people,” he told the outlet.
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