A 90-year-old United States Air Force veteran and his wife are feeling loved, thanks to community members in Manchester, New Hampshire, who rushed to help in his hour of need.
The Vietnam War veteran, identified as Donald, has been struggling as he cares for his ill wife, WMUR reported on Saturday.
When he stopped in at the local U.S. Gold & Pawn shop to make some extra cash to pay his rent, which was recently increased, a woman named Jenelle who works there knew she had to do something to make the couple’s life easier, so she created a GoFundMe page.
When she gave the wad of cash to Donald, he was overwhelmed. Video footage shows the touching moment he was surprised with the initial gift of $1,300.
“I could kiss you. God bless you,” he told her when she explained the fundraiser. Jenelle then said, “We want to do it”:
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“I know you’re struggling, and I know you’re trying to take care of your wife, and I appreciate your service,” Jenelle stated, to which he replied, “Thank you so much.”
As of Saturday morning, the GoFundMe page has raised $289,258 of its $300,000 goal. On the fundraiser site, Jenelle explained that Donald’s wife was diagnosed with dementia, and she is now working to find the couple somewhere more affordable to live.
In an update on Friday, Jenelle said the fundraising amount had grown and that they explained the news to Donald, who was overwhelmed.
“He said he didn’t deserve it. He was ‘just an ordinary man’, but we explained to him that he’s so much more than that!” she wrote.
“As of now, the GoFundMe is going to stay open until we can sit down with Donald and an attorney and talk about what exactly needs to be done and how to put this money in a safe account for Donald to access. There’s a lot to go over & We want to make sure everything is done right,” Jenelle continued.
When speaking of his beloved wife and the incredible gift, Donald said, “When you get married, you say, for better or for worse, richer or poor and so on. And so this is what I signed up for. I have an obligation to her, and I love her dearly. She’s the best thing that ever happened to me besides this, of course, this is the second best!”
He now hopes his situation will inspire other people to reach out if they know a veteran in need.