At 88 years old, Ed Bambas has gone through some rough patches in life – which forced him to work full-time at a grocery store instead of enjoying retirement.
Turns out Bambas, a U.S. Army veteran, first retired from his job with General Motors in 1999. Twelve years later “they took my pension away from me,” he explains.
After his wife got sick, Bambas had to sell his house to help pay the medical bills. Later, he took a job at Meijer supermarket in Brighton, Michigan.
“The thing that hurts me the most is when my wife was sick and they took the pension, they also took the health care coverage and all but $10,000 of my life savings,” he said.
That’s where an Australian TikTok and Instagram star named Samuel Weidenhofer videotaped Ed’s story – and the rest is history.
Weidenhofer flew to Michigan to interview Bambas, and the heartwarming footage went online, now viewed more than 4 million times. A viewer suggested people raise funds for the octogenarian so he can retire. As of Wednesday, $1.2 million has been raised, according to Fox News, surpassing the $1 million goal with weeks left to go. Eventually, the funds will be presented to Bambas, enabling him to retire for good.
Here’s the video interview:
HEARTWARMING SUPPORT: More than $1 million has been raised for 88-year-old veteran Ed Bambas, who goes viral after sharing that he is still working full-time at a Michigan supermarket following the loss of his pension.
Organizers say they are setting up a secure trust to ensure… pic.twitter.com/N6CN6IgdnI
— Fox News (@FoxNews) December 3, 2025