An elderly Texas man has gone viral after he was filmed struggling to carry heavy bags up a flight of stairs as part of his job to pay the medical bills while his wife battles cancer \u2014 before kind strangers helped raise nearly $250K.<\/p>\n
Don Johnson was seen returning luggage Erin Howell lost from a recent flight, catching the Dallas-Fort Worth area resident by surprise when she noticed the 81-year-old delivery man, according to heartbreaking home security footage. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe 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,\u201d Howell wrote on GoFundMe. \u201cIt completely broke my heart to see a man of his age doing such intense, grueling physical labor.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe reality is that he isn\u2019t working by choice; he is working for survival,\u201d Howell added.<\/p>\n
Donald Johnson was seen struggling carrying luggage up a flight of stairs as part of his job to help pay his wife\u2019s medical bills. Gofundme<\/p>\n
Johnson has been working as an independent contractor delivering the luggage to rightful owners\u2019 homes for three years after his wife, Josephine, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer.<\/p>\n
The couple, who have been married for 57 years, moved in with their daughter, which helped somewhat in the severe battle with the disease. <\/p>\n
However, Johnson soon became overwhelmed with rising medical bills and prescription costs and decided he needed to pick up work to make \u201cends meet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the only job that will hire me,\u201d Johnson told Howell.<\/p>\n