Over $370K raised for 81-year-old delivery driver paying wife’s medical bills

After an 81-year-old delivery driver delivered was spotted delivering lost luggage on a doorbell camera, a Texas woman started a fundraiser to support him, raising more than US$370,000 in donations.

The woman, named Erin Howell, started a GoFundMe page for Don Johnson, who ” has been working around the clock delivering luggage to make ends meet.”

Johnson is an independent contractor who delivers lost or delayed luggage to homes from the airport.

1:46 New Apple feature helps people track lost luggage

“The other day, my door cam caught an 81-year-old man slowly and painstakingly carrying my heavy luggage that had been lost on a recent flight up a steep flight of stairs,” Howell wrote in the GoFundMe description.

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“He looked absolutely exhausted, and his steps were heavy with effort. It completely broke my heart to see a man of his age doing such intense, grueling physical labor, so I opened my door to meet him and to offer my help. That is when I learned the devastating truth about his situation,” she added.

Johnson told Howell that he has put over “200,000 grueling miles on his car which has caused it to no longer run at times.”

When she asked him why he continues to work the physically demanding job at the age of 81, he told her, “it’s the only job that will hire me.”

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She said that Johnson isn’t working by choice but “working for survival.”

“His beautiful wife of 57 years, Josephine, is currently fighting a severe battle against cancer. The staggering medical bills, continuous treatments, expensive prescription medications, and everyday costs of living have completely overwhelmed them,” the fundraiser description added.

“At an age when he should be resting and spending every precious single moment by his wife’s side, he is out on the road lifting heavy bags just to keep her alive and cared for.”

Howell said that every dollar raised from the GoFundMe goes directly “to helping them survive.”

“Your donations will pay off their mounting cancer treatments, cover their daily living expenses, and finally allow him to stop working so he can safely stay home to take care of his wife,” the description said.

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Johnson told NBC News Dallas-Forth Worth that he sometimes works 14-hour days because of the “increase in groceries and expenses and everything.”

“I appreciate what we do get from insurance, but it doesn’t cover it all. And cancer treatment is very expensive,” Johnson added.

After the GoFundMe gained traction, Johnson told the outlet that the generosity “restores my faith in people.”

“For her to do that was a miracle. We didn’t ask for it, but it helps so much,” he said of Howell, adding, “I look forward to the day that I can help people just like I’m being helped now.”

The GoFundMe post had raised more than $371,200 of its $400,000 goal from more than 6,500 donations as of Thursday afternoon.

This isn’t the first time that a community has come together to help a delivery driver retire.

0:53 More than $500K raised for 78-year-old DoorDash driver forced out of retirement

In March, a Tennessee woman started a fundraiser to support a 78-year-old DoorDash driver, raising more than $970,000 in donations.

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Brittany Smith shared a TikTok video of Richard Pulley delivering her Starbucks order to her front door on March 10, writing, “Tik tok [sic] I need your help! Help me find this precious man! He delivered Starbucks to my house today but I need to find him because why is he door dashing at this age! He’s so precious just look at him! He should be retired living his best life. His name is Richard according to the app.”

In the video shared by Smith, Pulley is captured on doorbell video delivering the order to her doorstep, slowly walking up the pathway towards her home, before hesitating for a brief moment in front of the steps that lead to her front porch. He carefully walks up the stairs and gingerly bends down to drop off Smith’s order.

Smith decided to start a fundraiser for Pulley after she was able to “track down Richard and learned he does DoorDash due to his wife being fired from her job (at no fault of her own) and by the time they pay their monthly expenses plus purchase their medication, there is nothing left,” according to the GoFundMe page.

By May, Smith said that Pulley was gifted a large check for $965,868 following all the generous donations. She said he was now able to “retire and live comfortable for the remainder of his life.”

“Humanity is not a thing of the past,” Smith added in the update.