At 88, Ed Bambas isn't living the life he'd always dreamed of.
Bambas, an Army veteran, told social media influencer Samuel Weidenhofer that he lost his pension and health insurance in 2012. Around the same time, his wife was sick. He sold his home to cover the cost of caring for her.
Seven years after her death, Bambas said he's working eight-hour days, five days a week at a Meijer store in Detroit. But thanks to some generous strangers, he could soon retire.
Weidenhofer, who posts inspiring videos on TikTok, shared Babmas's story on Dec. 1 and linked to a GoFundMe to help Babmas. The video went viral, garnering 8 million views, and donors raised more than $1.5 million in three days to support the Army veteran.
"This is unbelievable," Weidenhofer wrote on Facebook on Dec. 4. "Thank you for coming together to change an 88-year-old veteran’s life. And thank you for helping shine a light on all the veterans out there — all the 'Ed’s' who are still working hard just to make ends meet."
