Brighton, MI – An 88-year-old Army veteran and former General Motors employee in Brighton, Michigan, has become the beneficiary of an outpouring of global support after a video revealing his need to work full-time as a Meijer cashier went viral. Ed Bambas was facing financial hardship after losing his pension when the GM he retired from declared bankruptcy in 2012, compounded by meaningful medical expenses incurred during his wife’s illness.
The story quickly resonated online,highlighting the precarious financial situations faced by many seniors and veterans. A GoFundMe campaign launched by Australian influencer Samuel Weidenhofer has amassed over $1.275 million (approximately HUF 392 million) in just days, offering Bambas a path to financial security he thought unattainable.
Bambas retired from General Motors in 1999, but the company’s 2012 bankruptcy resulted in the loss of his pension. He further explained that the loss extended to his health insurance and most of his life insurance as his wife, Joan, battled a serious illness. “The thing that hurt the most was when my wife was very sick and when they took away the pension, they took away the health care and everything but ten thousand dollars from the life insurance,” he said, visibly emotional. He was afterward forced to sell his home and properties to cover mounting expenses. Joan passed away seven years ago.
Despite the hardship, bambas maintained a resilient outlook.”It wasn’t hard for me to do it because I knew I had to do it. I’m thankful that God gave me a body good enough to be strong enough to stand 8, 8 and a half hours a day,” he stated.
Weidenhofer’s initial $400 tip to Bambas sparked the fundraising effort, which quickly gained traction with contributions from tens of thousands of individuals, including celebrities like Charlie Puth, who both shared the video and donated. Weidenhofer emphasized on the GoFundMe page that Bambas’s story “is a reminder that too many seniors, especially veterans, face incredible challenges just to survive.” Bambas himself remains unaware of the video’s viral success, stating he doesn’t have a smartphone – still using a flip phone for dialog.
