An 88-year-old Army veteran who went viral on TikTok has received a check for $1.7 million in donations, becoming emotional as he thanked supporters for their support.
Ed Bambas appeared in a video by TikToker Itssozer in December that immediately went viral. The veteran, who stated in the original video that he couldn’t afford to stop working, broke down in tears when he was informed of the amount Itssozer’s – real name Samuel Weidenhofer – GoFundMe had raised to help him retire.
Veteran moved to tears after learning total raised
In a December 5 video shared on X/Twitter, Bambas, a widower, immediately began to cry as he processed the total, saying, “I wish my wife was here.”
He was then presented with a check for more than $1.7 million, raised through Weidenhofer’s fundraiser, far surpassing the original $750,000 goal.
“I don’t know how I can thank a tenth of these people without handshakes and hugs. Thank you, everybody,” Bambas said.
In a December 6 video recorded during the same conference and posted on Weidenhofer’s TikTok, Bambas said he was around $230,000 in debt, and all of his money had gone towards taking care of his wife before she died.
“I cannot express in any words how thankful I am to all the people,” Bambas continued. When asked what he would say to his wife if he could send her one message, he replied, “Thank you, honey. I appreciate everything you’ve done.”
Bambas worked for General Motors before retiring in 1999, but he told Weidenhofer he was forced back into full-time work at a Detroit convenience store. Bambas’s son later clarified to Weidenhofer that this was a result of his father running out of money after paying his wife’s medical bills before she died.
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As of December 7, the GoFundMe page for Bambas remains active and continues to receive donations, with the current total having surpassed $1.8 million.