Veteran surprised with over $1 million check

BRIGHTON, Mich. (CBS, KYMA) - An 88-year-old Veteran, who went viral after kindness influencer Samuel Weidenhofer posted a video of him explaining that he was still working full-time after losing his pension, was surprised with a check for $1.77 million Friday.

Ed Bambas, whom Weidenhofer met working at a suburban Detroit supermarket, told the influencer that he retired from General Motors in 1999, but when the company went bankrupt in 2012, it discontinued his pension.

Bambas also revealed that his wife died seven years ago, and that to pay for her medical care, he had to sell their house.

Footage filmed by Darius Smith shows Weidenhofer surprising Bambas with the $1.77 million he was able to raise for him through a GoFundMe fundraiser.

"I wanna reveal that this is one of the largest individual fundraisers in GoFundMe history, and if you want, you will be able to retire, because we’ve raised you $1.77 million," Weidenhofer tells the Veteran, who bursts into tears.

By Monday, the fundraiser was still collecting donations and had reached more than $1.9 million. If anyone would like to donate to the GoFundMe, click here.