81-year-old Texas man carried heavy bags to pay wife’s cancer bills; heartbreaking video moves strangers to raise $244,000

An elderly man from Texas Donald Johnson is making the waves online after a video of him surfaced showing him struggling to carry heavy bags up a flight of stairs. The 81-year-old man was seen physically struggling to deliver luggage to pay the medical bills while his wife is battling cancer. The video deeply moved people and kind strangers helped raise nearly $250K, according to media reports. The GoFundMe has raised over $281,000 that will help Johnson's wife pay for her cancer treatments and allow Don to retire and take care of her.

Donald Johnson works as an independent contractor, delivering lost luggage to people's homes. He was doing the grueling work when Dallas-Fort Worth area resident saw him struggling with some of the heavier bags. “The other day, my door cam caught an 81-year-old man slowly and painstakingly carrying my heavy luggage that had been lost on a recent flight up a steep flight of stairs. He looked absolutely exhausted, and his steps were heavy with effort,” Howell wrote on GoFundMe. “It completely broke my heart to see a man of his age doing such intense, grueling physical labor. “The reality is that he isn’t working by choice; he is working for survival,” Howell added.

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A stranger's GoFundMe helps Donald Johnson

After speaking to Donald Johnson, she realised that Johnson started doing his luggage job three years ago to help pay for his wife. Josephine is battling cancer and the couple has been together for 57 years now. When Howell asked Johnson why he works such a physically demanding job, he told her, "It's the only job that will hire me." Johnson started doing his luggage job three years ago to help pay for his wife, Josephine, who is battling cancer. The couple has been together for 57 years.

"The staggering medical bills, continuous treatments, expensive prescription medications, and everyday costs of living have completely overwhelmed them," Howell wrote of Johnson's situation. "At an age when he should be resting and spending every precious single moment by his wife's side, he is out on the road lifting heavy bags just to keep her alive and cared for."

“With the increase in groceries and expenses and everything, we were just getting by,” Johnson told NBC5 Dallas-Fort Worth. “I tried Amazon and Walmart and other places. It was either not the right moment, or they just passed on me.”

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To make matters worse, since Johnson is an independent contractor, he has regularly worked 14-hour days for extra cash. The demanding job forced Johnson to drive hundreds of miles a day, totaling over 200,000 miles on his car, leading to major mechanical issues on his vehicle.

“At an age when he should be resting and spending every precious single moment by his wife’s side, he is out on the road lifting heavy bags just to keep her alive and cared for,” Howell said.

Howell was deeply moved by Donald Johnson's struggle, hard work and determination he had for his wife and decided to start a GoFundMe to help Johnson retire without having to give up on paying for his wife's cancer treatments. "He is a deeply proud, selfless, and dedicated husband who would never ask for charity himself, which is exactly why I am stepping in as to start this GoFundMe campaign," Howell wrote. "He shouldn't have to carry this crushing financial and physical weight all by himself anymore." The crowdfunding campaign has raised over $244,000 of the $300,000 goal since it was launched on Sept. 2.

Johnson said he was thankful for Howell’s kind gesture and plans to use the money to support his family. “I think I’m going to be able to stop working, and that’s amazing,” he told KDFW. He added that while things are not completely settled yet, they are improving quickly.

Josephine also said the donations and supportive messages have given her new hope as she continues her health battle. “I can face it. I think that’s the big difference,” Josephine said. She said people have been praying for them and sending kind messages, which has brought her a sense of joy.