Close Ad

89-Year-Old Responsible for His Entire Family Is Forced to Work - Here’s How One Photo Brought Him $400K
Stranger’s Photo of Elderly Man Selling Ice Cream Helps Him Retire With $400K
Uplifting News

89-Year-Old Responsible for His Entire Family Is Forced to Work - Here’s How One Photo Brought Him $400K

An 89-year-olds life completely changes thanks to the power of kindness.

Many people who work physical jobs (or at gigs they don’t love) dream of one day retiring. Once you reach a certain age and your body no longer does what it used to, physical jobs can be grueling.

Perhaps that’s why one photo of a man in Chicago tugged at so many heartstrings when a random citizen posted it.


Why an 89-Year-Old Man Continued to Work

elderly man wearing a red long sleeve shirt working
Photo by guntur ekaswara

In 2016, an 89-year-old man named Fidencio Sanchez had thought about retirement. But that wasn’t in the cards for the Chicago-based man. He and his wife had recently lost their daughter and needed to take care of their grandchildren. They were having trouble paying the bills and couldn’t even afford to bury their daughter.

So, Sanchez returned to the work he had been doing for decades: pushing a cart and selling ice pops, a.k.a. paletas.

RELATED: Flight Attendant Notices Helpless Elderly Man Struggling To Eat - What She Did Next Brings Him To Tears

“It's really hard working out here in the streets, in the summer and cold winter. Even in bad weather, we still have to go out and sell and the carts get stuck in the streets,” Sanchez told ABC News.

Sanchez was pushing that cart when a good samaritan named Joel Cervantes Macias saw him and was struck by the image. He snapped a photo with his phone. “Everyone [was] walking past him like he wasn’t there,” he later told BuzzFeed.

So Macias pulled over, bought a bunch of paletas from the man, and gave him fifty bucks. Still, he felt like that wasn’t enough.

How Strangers on the Internet Helped an Elderly Man

Once he got home, Macias shared the photo and Sanchez’s story on Facebook. He also created a GoFundMe page to raise $3,000 to give the man a day off work. “He shows what a true man is, and that’s what I admire about him,” Macias revealed to BuzzFeed. Still, he admitted, “It’s shocking how amazing the response was.”

Before Macias knew it, the crowdsourcing page had taken off. In the end, the page not only surpassed the original goal, but people donated nearly $400,000 to the family. And all in 15 days.

RELATED: Cashier Saves Elderly Woman from a $3k Scam - With One Perfect Question

Macias presented Sanchez with the money in September 2016. “I'll never forget this; thank you, everyone, for supporting, and most of all, I would like to thank God," Sanchez said at the time.

As part of the gift, Macias helped find lawyers willing to give Sanchez advice on how to use the money, but Sanchez revealed to BuzzFeed that he also wants to give some to “certain people I see have a need.”

Either way, he said he still plans on working, so here’s hoping some of that pressure to make ends meet is at least gone.

How a Stranger Proved It Takes One Person to Change a Life

an elderly couple hugging and smiling in front of trees
Photo by Tristan Le

So many people walked by Sanchez and didn’t give him a second thought. He wasn’t asking anyone for money, and he didn’t expect anyone to go out of their way to help him. Yet, when one concerned citizen asked the man his story, it opened the eyes of many people who suddenly wanted to help.

It’s a good reminder to stop and assess what’s going on in our own backyards. We never know what a person has been through, but by stopping and asking questions, we may learn more about someone’s situation.

People who could use a hand don’t constantly broadcast it. Still, by paying attention, asking questions, opening our eyes to the people around us, and appreciating what they’ve been through, we could probably all find ways to help one another in plenty of small and big ways.

KEEP READING:

Family Notices Lonely Elderly Man Eating Alone - What They Do Next Inspired an Entire Restaurant

Hot Stories

Why Paul Walker Left His Only Daughter With Vin Diesel

Vin Diesel & Paul Walker were more than just friends, they were …

content.jwplatform.com

When the tragic news of Paul Walker's death surfaced, the world was left in shock. As one of the most beloved stars of the Fast and Furious franchise, his passing was felt deeply by fans around the globe. But perhaps the most devastating impact was felt by his daughter, Meadow Walker, who was left without a father.

Keep ReadingShow less
Life Stories
4 Signs You've Found a Kindred Spirit, Not a Soulmate
friends wearing same outfit

Spirituality exists beyond words — to a dimension where language can only hint at deeper truths. Any words used to attempt to describe or explain it will always be poor translations because words often fall short when describing spiritual experiences. It's like trying to capture the ocean's vastness in a photograph. It might show its surface but there's no replacement for the direct experience of reality.

RELATED: The Psychology and Spirituality Causes Of An Identity Crisis

On Defining Spiritual Connections

Throughout history, people have tried to capture extraordinary experiences and spiritual connections through language. Terms like soulmates, twin flames, and kindred spirits attempt to describe these non-ordinary bonds. Yet these labels are merely signposts that point to something mysterious and won't fully capture it.

Keep ReadingShow less
Relationships
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his parents Randi and Pat
Archive

Make no mistake about it: Patrick Mahomes is the face of the NFL. The Tyler, Texas native is the son of Pat Mahomes, a former Major League Baseball player, and Randi Martin.

He burst onto the scene in 2018 when he made history by throwing 50 touchdown passes and 5,000 yards in a single season — a record he shares with Peyton Manning. He followed up his initial success by leading the Kansas City Chiefs to an incredible victory at Super Bowl LIV. If that wasn’t enough, he carried the team through to yet another Super Bowl the very next year, though they ended up losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Mahomes has gone to two more Super Bowls since and he's won back-to-back titles (2023 and 2024).

Keep ReadingShow less
Family