The Happy Pod: The 88-year-old veteran given nearly $2m by strangers
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How did Samuel Weidenhofer raise nearly $2 million for an elderly veteran?
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This is the Happy Pod from the BBC World Service.
I'm Alex Ritson, and in this edition... I'm 88. And still working? Yes, I have to. Why do you have to keep working?
Retired from General Motors in 99. 2012, they went bankrupt, and they took my pension away from me.
The 80-year-old shop worker given nearly $2 million by strangers around the world. One of the few people ever to walk around the world says he was inspired by his rescue dog.
When things were difficult for me, I'd look at her and she would walk every mile with her tail out high and happy to see what's up ahead. And so I tried to sort of resemble the same thing where no matter what's going on inside, I would try and just do my job every day, walk those 24 miles. Also...
I'm so passionate about telling people what they can do and what they should do and they shouldn't let it stop them from doing anything.
The young woman determined to remove the stigma surrounding a medical device.
What inspired Tom Turcich to walk around the world with his rescue dog?
How a metal detectorist in the UK reunited a family in the US with an important part of its history. Plus, some big baby news.
She's our youngest member of the herd. She's a first-time mom. Her due date is at about 659 days.
Final preparations for the long-awaited birth of an endangered elephant. We start with a man after our own hearts, the Australian kindness influencer Samuel Weidenhofer. He's built up a following of more than 10 million people on social media, sharing positive stories and posting videos of himself giving surprises, gifts and money to strangers. His latest act has been celebrated all around the world after he travelled from Australia to the United States to try to find someone he'd been told needed help. Stephanie Prentice takes up the story. We've raised you $1.77 million. Look.
Two men hugging each other in Michigan, U.S. One has just handed the other a check that's made him a millionaire. Until a few weeks ago, they'd never met.
How is Lucy Smith Butler changing perceptions of stoma bags?
But both of their lives changed when influencer Sam Wiedenhofer spotted a comment on one of his videos where someone mentioned seeing an older man still working in a U.S. superstore chain and said they were worried about him. The man was Ed Bambus, working full-time on his feet in his 80s because he couldn't afford to retire. Sam jumped on a flight and went looking for him, and said when he spotted a friendly older man at a checkout, he knew it was him.
I'm 88. And still working? Yes, I have to. Why do you have to keep working?
Retired from General Motors in 99. 2012, they went bankrupt and they took my pension away from me. Oh my gosh. Do you have a wife? She passed away seven years ago. Seven years ago. She was sick when I lost my pension.
What emotional story surrounds the reunion of a lost dog tag with a veteran's family?
I was in the army back in 66. So you're a veteran too? Yes. The thing that hurt me the most was my wife was real sick. When they took the pension, they also took the health care coverage.
Sam posted a video with Ed and asked his followers to join him in raising a retirement fund. The video went viral. The first million was raised in under 48 hours. And now more than 65,000 people have donated. And the pot keeps growing. When it hit 1.7 million, Sam flew back to see his new friend.
This is one of the largest individual fundraisers in GoFundMe history. If you want, you will be able to retire.
Something that dreams are made of.
It's not the first time a stranger has helped Ed through difficulties.
What is the significance of the upcoming birth of a rare elephant calf at the zoo?
After losing his wife Joan, he says he took the time to speak to all of his customers to try and keep his spirits up.
I talked to everybody that came through my cashier line because it helped me not become despondent at our loss. So I made a lot of friends. And everybody would ask me why I worked. I gave them a piece of my life story.
Now that life story starts a new chapter. Ed says he'll clear more than $200,000 of medical debts with the cash and use his new freedom to take up golf again. His only worry these days, finding a way to thank the people from all around the world who donated to help a stranger.
It means a terrible burden that I have to find everybody and say thank you.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
How did Samuel Weidenhofer raise nearly $2 million for an elderly veteran?
0:00–1:36
2
What inspired Tom Turcich to walk around the world with his rescue dog?
1:36–2:53
3
How is Lucy Smith Butler changing perceptions of stoma bags?
2:53–3:44
4
What emotional story surrounds the reunion of a lost dog tag with a veteran's family?
3:44–4:40
5
What is the significance of the upcoming birth of a rare elephant calf at the zoo?
4:40–6:13
6
How is AI improving sustainability in cotton farming in India?
6:13–7:23
7
What challenges do elephants face in captivity and how are they being addressed?
7:23–8:15
8
What are the final thoughts shared by the presenter at the end of the episode?
8:15–28:08