近日，一個溫暖人心的故事在美國社交媒體上引發廣泛關注：一位88歲的汽車工人，失去妻子和退休金，但仍每天努力工作，如今透過網絡募款獲得超過180萬美元的捐款。事件起於本週一，澳洲視頻博主塞繆爾·威登霍夫爾（Samuel Weidenhofer）在美國底特律附近的一家超市拍攝內容時，遇見一位88歲的收銀員。塞繆爾以拍攝慈善影片聞名，他通常會在與陌生人的互動中了解對方生活困境，然後親自捐款或號召觀眾捐款。這次，塞繆爾佯裝自己不會使用超市的掃碼付款系統，請求這位收銀員幫忙操作。收銀員非常耐心，陪他操作一段時間。在這過程中，兩人進行簡短的對話，內容令許多網友動容。

這位老人名叫艾德·班巴斯（Ed Bambas），88歲。塞繆爾在拍攝前，從超市員工那裡得知，儘管年事已高，艾德仍然努力工作，因此決定對他進行簡單的訪問。當塞繆爾問他為何在如此高齡仍堅持工作時，艾德坦言，這是生活所迫：“是的，我必須這樣。1999年我從通用汽車退休，2012年公司破產後，我的退休金被斷了。我妻子七年前去世，當時我剛好失去了退休金。1966年我還當過兵……最傷心的是，當我妻子病得最重的時候，我沒有了退休金，醫保也被取消，只留給我一萬美元的保險金。於是我賣掉房子和物業，用這些錢撐過那段日子。”

自妻子去世以來，艾德一直努力重建生活。他每天工作八小時，一週五天，但仍難以維持足夠收入。當被問及自己的夢想時，他淺笑著說，希望“享受一下以前期盼的人生”。塞繆爾被艾德的故事深深打動，當場承諾會通過自己的平台號召網友伸出援手，並先行給艾德400美元。老人聽後感動落淚、顫抖不已。影片發布後迅速在各大社交平台引起熱烈迴響，點讚數突破百萬。隨後，塞繆爾為艾德設立捐款鏈接，短短時間內，累計捐款已超過180萬美元。這個故事不僅展現艾德堅韌的生活態度，也透過社交媒體和網絡募款的力量，讓一位平凡的老人獲得社會的關愛與支持，感動無數網友。

Recently, a heartwarming story has captured widespread attention on social media in the United States: an 88-year-old former auto worker, who lost his wife and his retirement pension, continues to work tirelessly every day, and has now received over $1.8 million in donations through online crowdfunding.

The story began earlier this week when Australian video blogger Samuel Weidenhofer was filming content at a supermarket near Detroit, USA, and met an 88-year-old cashier. Samuel is known for his charitable videos, in which he usually learns about the hardships of strangers and then either donates personally or encourages his viewers to contribute. This time, he pretended that he didn’t know how to use the supermarket’s scan-to-pay system and asked the cashier for assistance. The elderly man patiently helped him operate the system for a while, and during this time, they had a brief conversation that deeply moved many viewers.

The elderly man, Ed Bambas, 88, was introduced to Samuel by the supermarket staff as a diligent worker despite his advanced age. Samuel decided to interview him briefly. When asked why he continued to work at such an age, Ed candidly explained that it was out of necessity: “Yes, I have to. I retired from General Motors in 1999, but in 2012, when the company went bankrupt, my pension was cut off. My wife passed away seven years ago, and at that time, I had just lost my pension. I served in the military in 1966… The hardest part was when my wife was seriously ill—I had no pension, my health insurance was canceled, and I was only left with $10,000 in insurance. So I sold my house and property to get through that period.”

Since his wife’s passing, Ed has worked to rebuild his life. He works eight hours a day, five days a week, but still struggles to make ends meet. When asked about his dream, he smiled and said he simply hoped to “enjoy the life I once longed for.”

Deeply touched by Ed’s story, Samuel promised on the spot to share his video and ask his followers to help, and personally gave Ed $400. The elderly man was visibly moved, tears streaming and hands shaking. Once the video was posted, it quickly went viral across major social media platforms, receiving over a million likes. Samuel also set up a donation link for Ed, and in a short time, the total contributions have surpassed $1.8 million.

This story not only highlights Ed’s resilience and determination but also demonstrates the power of social media and online fundraising, allowing an ordinary man to receive immense support and care from the community, touching countless hearts around the world.