An 88-year-old US army veteran who has been working full-time at a supermarket just to get by is set to receive more than £1.2million ($1.7million) in donations today, finally allowing him to retire.
Ed Bambas captured hearts around the world after Australian influencer Samuel Weidenhofer shared his story on social media.
Mr Weidenhofer had flown to Michigan after someone commented on one of his videos about an elderly man still working and helping customers at a local store.
Together with Detroit-based influencer Mike McKinstry, they spent around two hours searching the Meijer supermarket in Brighton before spotting Bambas at the checkout.
"We were looking for this friendly, jolly older man and we ran into Ed at the checkout and knew it was him right away," Mr McKinstry told WXYZ news.
In the emotional video, which has racked up millions of views, Bambas opened up about his financial struggles.
He had served in the military during the 1960s before joining General Motors, where he worked until retiring in 1999.
"I felt comfortable. I felt I had a stable financial footing. I owned my house," Bambas told reporters. "We didn't have any major worries."
Ed Bambas has finally been allowed to retire at the age of 88 after Australian influencer Samuel Weidenhofer shared his story on social media
|But everything changed when General Motors filed for bankruptcy in 2009, and by 2012, his pension was gone.
To make matters worse, his healthcare coverage was stripped away just as his wife, Joan, fell seriously ill.
"The thing that hurt me the most was when my wife was really sick, they took the pension, and they also took the healthcare coverage," he said in the viral video.
Joan passed away seven years ago, leaving Bambas with just $10,000 from his life insurance.
After Joan's death, Mr Bambas found himself unable to cover his bills and had no choice but to sell his home and return to work.
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Ed Bambas became visibly emotional when talking about his wife in the viral clip
|He first took a job at a hardware store before eventually landing at Meijer, where he's been manning the tills for the past five years.
"It wasn't hard for me to do it because I knew I had to do it," Bambas said. "I'm fortunate God gave me a good enough body to be strong enough to stand there for eight, eight-and-a-half hours a day."
The 88-year-old has been working long eight-hour shifts, five days a week, ever since.
After the video went viral, he launched a GoFundMe campaign that smashed through the $1million mark in less than 48 hours, with donations continuing to pour in.
Son Michael revealed that his father had struggled deeply following Joan's death, having cared for her as her primary caretaker for nearly a decade.
"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 told NBC News.
Michael only discovered his dad had gone viral when messages started flooding in from friends and family.
"He has no idea how much money is in the account. He has no clue what's there. It's going to be a total shock to him," Michael said.
A ceremony is planned for tonight at Bambas's workplace, where a local veterans group will also honour him.
"He's finally going to enjoy life and not have to worry about where the next dollar is gonna have to come from."
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