An elderly Texas man who was given over $700,000 in donations after going viral for working as a delivery driver to help pay his wife’s medical bills had his fundraiser pulled after it emerged that his own daughter had started it.
Donald Johnson’s crowdfunding appeal was removed from GoFundMe after the platform uncovered ‘factual misrepresentations’, NewsNation reported.
The page was originally said to have been launched by a neighbor, named Erin Howell, but the outlet claimed that it was actually the 81-year-old’s daughter.
GoFundMe told the outlet that it had received a tip last week that questioned the identity of the person who ran the campaign.
The organization then called her directly and asked her outright if Donald and his wife Josephine, who has cancer, were her parents, to which she said they were.
His daughter told the company that she created the Erin persona because she believed that her parents’ story would connect with others if it came from a stranger.
She said that she filmed her father delivering lost luggage herself, and maintained that every other detail was accurate.
The company said: ‘Our Trust & Safety team identified factual misrepresentations, which directly violate our Terms of Service.
‘As a result, the fundraiser has been removed and all donors have been refunded. Ensuring GoFundMe is a safe and trusted place to give and receive help is our top priority. Taking action like this allows GoFundMe to protect donors.’
Donald Johnson, who had raised $700,000 in donations after going viral, had his crowdfunding appeal pulled down from GoFundMe after the platform uncovered ‘factual misrepresentations’
Videos showed the 81-year-old delivering luggage to help pay his wife’s medical bills
The original post to the fundraiser made by Erin said: ‘The other day, I looked out [my] door cam and saw 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.
‘It completely broke my heart to see a man of his age doing such intense, grueling physical labor, so I opened my door to meet him and to offer my help.’
Donald apparently told Erin that he had been returning lost luggage for the past three years and had so far put 200,000 miles on his car, which is no longer reliable.
He emotionally admitted: ‘It’s the only job that will hire me.’
Erin wrote: ‘The reality is that he isn’t working by choice, he is working for survival. His beautiful wife of 57 years, Josephine, is currently fighting a severe battle against cancer.
‘The staggering medical bills, continuous treatments, expensive prescription medications, and everyday costs of living have completely overwhelmed them.
‘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.’
The 81-year-old alongside his wife Josephine in an interview with Fox 4 after the clip of him struggling went viral
The page described Donald as a ‘deeply proud, selfless, and dedicated husband’ as she urged the wider community to rally round.
‘He shouldn’t have to carry this crushing financial and physical weight all by himself anymore,’ it read.
Donald later sat down with Fox 4, accompanied by his wife, and said: ‘I think I’m going to be able to stop working, and that’s amazing.
‘So we’re not quite totally over the hump yet, but we’re getting there very quickly.’
Also speaking with gratitude about the community rallying around, Josephine added: ‘I can face it. I think that’s the big difference.
‘Some have made comments and they’re praying for us. And it’s just, it’s a joyful feeling.’
