US
Ed Bambas: 88-year-old veteran who worked full-time at supermarket given £1.2m to help him retire
An 88-year-old US army veteran who works full time at a grocery store to make ends meet will receive over $1.7m (£1.2m) to help him retire.
Ed Bambas went viral after Australian influencer Samuel Weidenhofer shared a video of Bambas opening up about his financial struggles on social media.
In the video, which has received over 269,000 likes on Facebook, Bambas explains how he retired from General Motors in 1999, but lost his pension in 2012 after the company went bankrupt.
He also lost his healthcare coverage – just as his wife was sick. She died seven years ago.
Bambas was left with just $10,000 (£7,500) of his life insurance.
He tears up as he says: “So I sold my house, sold the property I had, we made it through.”
Weidenhofer, who uses his platform to help raise money for people in need, set up a GoFundMe page after speaking with Bambas.
His son Michael said he didn’t know his dad had gone viral until he received messages from friends and family.
Speaking to Sky’s sister company, NBC News, Michael said that his dad had lost himself after his mother’s death.
“Right after my mum passed away, I’d go over to the house and I’d find him basically walking around in circles, not knowing what to do with himself.”
He added that: “He took care of my mum for almost 10 years as her primary caretaker.”
Michael explained that his dad started looking for work due to mounting medical bills and that he had been working eight-hour shifts, five days a week, for five years.
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Pic: GoFundMe
Meijer, the Michigan grocery store where Ed Bambas works, said he was a valued team member who connects with customers and adds joy and warmth to the store.
The store said it would offer additional support to Bambas considering recent events.
Weidenhofer says he plans to present Bambas with the money at a ceremony later today.
His son said the money raised means his dad can “start living and doing things for himself.”
“I don’t know how to thank everyone for what they’re doing for my dad. It’s just amazing.”